Kingdom Hearts: The Xaben Chronicles
by Xander Floyd
Summary: An original epic in the Kingdom Hearts universe, this story focuses on the struggles of two wielders of a powerful weapon and their conflict with others like them. But not all is as it seems, for new enemies are constantly emerging... Lots of OCs, rated T for upcoming language and violence.
1. Chapter 1

**Kingdom**

**Hearts**

**Chapter One**

**Infernal Darkness, Eternal Light**

**"Fear leads to obsession with power, and obsession beckons the Darkness." –Master Eraqus to Terra in _Birth By Sleep_**

**"Fear leads to anger; Anger leads to hate; hate leads to suffering; and suffering leads to the dark side. I sense much fear in you." –Master Yoda, upon meeting and testing Anakin Skywalker in The Phantom Menace.**

**Author's Note: Some characters in this story are copyrighted by Square Enix and Disney. While the main characters are my own creations, the other characters are owned by their respective copyright holders.**

**Prologue**

The waves softly lapped at the edge of the beach, the water illuminated by the pale moonlight piercing through the ever-present darkness. There on that lonely beach, a man in a black coat leaned against a moss-encrusted stone, looking out to the horizon, wondering whether he'd ever see true light again, or whether it mattered.

Another figure approached the man, who didn't seem to notice. However, the man tilted his head and said, "I did not expect to see one of your kind here."

"What do you mean by that?" the other figure asked.

The man did not answer, but merely looked to the horizon again and sighed. "Perhaps the time is almost upon us, then. Tell me…" He turned back to the visitor. "Have you been to see him?"

"Him?"

"Yes… the one who wields the Keyblade… the one who will bring about our birth by sleep and finally bring light to the worlds? Have you been to see him?"

"I…I…"

"What is your name?"

"M-my name…? My name…"

"Do you not remember?"

The visitor was silent. The man sighed and turned away, with the visitor also gazing towards the horizon.

"What is at the other end?" he asked.

"Hope."

* * *

**Infernal Darkness, Eternal Light**

One could say that all great heroes had humble beginnings. If it was true, then Dawning Bay would be a spawning ground for them; it was as small as it could be, not to mention remote and WAY out of the way. The buildings were constructed from native woods, but had roofs of delicate pottery; so confident were the people here of the predictable weather that they did not feel the need to build strong shelters. For many, it was a place of security and peace.

For others, it was a breeding place for boredom. Many of the younger inhabitants of Dawning Bay were bored downright out of their minds and struggled to find ways to relieve it. Our hero was one of those bored kids on the beach who constantly looked out to sea, wondering what fantastic lands lay beyond it.

Kris sat on the sands and did exactly that. The sun was setting on the horizon, its rays creating a panorama of beautiful orange. The waters were calm, serene; no storm had hit Dawning Bay for a long time.

Kris always liked the sunset. He noticed the light footsteps crunching through the sand, but he paid it no heed. Looking at the red-orange disc descending out of sight, he smiled. _This would be great if there was something to do afterwards._

Suddenly his vision went dark as someone placed their hands over his eyes. He felt a light breath on his ear, then heard a girl's voice say, "Guess who?"

He laughed; he knew who it was right away. "Uh… Is it Aunt Nan?"

"No…"

"Uncle Fergus?

"No…"

"Uh… Okay… is it… Cyra?"

His vision returned, and he turned to the girl beaming back at him. "You knew all along, didn't you?"

He laughed again and patted her shoulder. Cyra was around his age (so fifteen), small, and had shoulder-length brown hair that he liked to run through his fingers. He was always held captive by her eyes, which were the brightest baby blue he had ever seen. Like most female bay dwellers, she wore a yellow tank top, blue denim shorts, and brown sandals.

As for him, he was also a little on the short side, but he made up for it in pure scrappiness. There wasn't a single boy in Dawning Bay who didn't acknowledge his quick feet and even quicker wit; Kris was known as the Bay Badger because of his shared personality with the stupidly fearless mustelid. His vivid brown eyes further backed this persona, along with messy black hair and a scrappy frame. Unlike most of the inhabitants, he wore a white t-shirt, a brown vest, a pair of denim jeans, and grey sport shoes.

"Yep."

"You can be SO mean sometimes, Kris, you know that?"

"Yep."

Cyra sighed, then sat down next to him. "Anyway… how's your day been so far?"

"Same old, same old. You?"

"The same. There's nothing to do lately, have you noticed?"

"Mm-hm."

"I have an idea."

"What might that be?"

"You remember the islet down south of here?"

Kris grimaced. "Yeah, but not in the best of ways."

"Let's go there."

He practically jumped ten feet into the air at that suggestion. "Don't you REMEMBER what happened the last time we headed down there?"

"Yeah, but that thing has to be gone by now! We can go and check out that door again. Aren't you curious?"

This caused him to pause. Truth be told, he _was_ curious, but caution had been nagging at him, telling him that it was a very bad idea. But curiosity inevitably won out. "Yeah, a little. When will you be ready to leave?"

"How 'bout… at sundown?"

Kris looked to the setting sun in confusion. "But that's-"

"Exactly."

Wariness practically roared at him, telling him that, if it was a bad idea when first suggested, it was a _really_ bad idea now. But for Cyra's sake and the sake of his curiosity, he nodded. "Okay. Just let me get a few things, 'K?"

"Okay! I'll be waiting over by the gate." With that Cyra excitedly dashed off the beach towards town. She was beaming brightly to everyone she passed, much to their confusion.

Kris sighed. "What have I gotten myself into?" he asked himself as he ran off after her.

Not wanting to be left behind, Kris only had time to grab a small satchel and a wooden sword before chasing after Cyra, who had apparently taken nothing. He was panting by the time she stopped to wait; he went down to his knees, exhausted.

"Cyra, I told you that I had to get a few things!"

"Sorry, I got excited. Anyway, you ready now?"

"Lemme catch my breath first!"

"Sorry."

After taking a few deep breathes, Kris staggered up to his feet. "I hope this is worth it."

"Oh, it will be, don't worry! I was over there just a week ago, nothing happened!"

A buzzer went off in Kris's mind. "You mean you had gone over there and didn't _tell anybody?_"

"Sorry."

He grunted in exasperation. "Fine. Whatever. Let's get over there and get this over with."

After he made sure that Cyra wouldn't dash on ahead without him again, Kris followed her through a small patch of woods. Dawning Bay was essentially a big bayou pock-marked with woods and sandbars; it was easy to find lumber, but people preferred to make their homes out of packed sand with little wooden reinforcement. It didn't make sense to either Kris or Cyra, but it made a lot of sense to the older folks for whatever reason.

They left the first patch and quickly found themselves in another; this one was bigger than the last, so Kris assumed it would take longer to traverse. Besides that, it was starting to get dark.

"Cyra, hold up a second!"

She turned to him, looking impatient. "C'mon, we're almost there."

"A little break wouldn't hurt, would it?"

She pouted. "No. It wouldn't."

"Okay," Kris said as he set up the little food that was in his satchel. That meant a few pieces of sea-salt taffy. He sighed and popped one into his mouth, then handed one to Cyra.

She nibbled at the end and started tapping her foot. She did this when she was eager to go somewhere.

"Cyra, eat. It's going to be a while still."

She nodded and ate what was left. Her ears pricked up, though, when she heard a rustling in the undergrowth.

Kris heard it, too, and took out his sword. One look and he knew how pitiful the situation was.

"Hiya, kupo!" the creature in the undergrowth said. It walked out of there, revealing itself to be a tiny, furry rabbit-looking thing with a red pom-pom dangling over its head. It wore a green buttoned vest, a yellow scarf, and no pants, which only magnified its appeal.

Before Kris could ask any questions, Cyra rushed up to the creature, scooped it up, and gave it a big squeeze, cooing all the way. "Aren't you just the cutest little thing?"

The critter didn't respond; he was too busy choking and not breathing.

"Uh, Cyra, I think you should put him down."

"I didn't expect to see a moogle here! He's SOO cute!"

"I REALLY think he wants down."

"No, he's just asking to be cuddled!"

"He's starting to turn blue."

"Oh, okay, fine," she conceded reluctantly. She put the moogle down, who immediately collapsed and started gasping for air.

"Whoa, kupo!" he gasped. "Do all humans do that?"

"Luckily for you, no," Kris answered.

"Okay, good, kupo." He righted himself. "So, where are you two off to, eh, kupo?"

"We're going to the islet down south of here. Exciting, huh?"

The moogle was mumbling, but Kris could hear him say, "Yeah, kupo. If you wanna find Heartless."

"Heartless?"

"Kupo?"

There was an awkward silence. Then the moogle said, "The name's Montblanc, kupos!"

Kris introduced Cyra and himself, and then said, "We really should be going." _Like, in the opposite direction of the islet._

"Okay, kupos! Just make sure to keep outta trouble."

"We will. Thanks, Montblanc."

Montblanc disappeared into the undergrowth again, and Cyra said to Kris, "Wasn't he SOO cute?"

Kris wasn't really listening; he was fixated on the name Montblanc had mentioned. _Heartless… Sounds important._ "Cyra, I think we should go back."

"Huh?" She looked disbelieving. "But we're almost there! And the sun isn't totally down yet!"

The irritation he had been pushing down finally boiled. "Yeah, and by the time we get there, it'll be dark and we'll be easy targets! You may have forgotten, but I haven't! You can go on if you want, but I'm not getting killed out here!"

It was an empty gesture; Kris wasn't going to leave her alone, despite how she made him feel. But it had its effect. "I'm sorry, Kris."

She really looked downcast. "I really am. I just… wanted to get away from town, just me and you… Us, without anyone else around… You know?"

"No, I don't know."

Now she did something that Kris rarely saw. She shed a tear. "I figured. Listen, if I had told you on the beach, you wouldn't have come, but… I meant this to be a date."

The buzzer was hit by a hammer. "What?"

"Yeah, I know, crazy, right? I just didn't know how to handle it, so… I just dived into it. Now you know?"

"Why didn't you just tell me?"

"Sorry, I was nervous. I didn't think you'd… say yes…"

His heart was softening. "Cyra, you know me better than that. I would've said yes."

"Really?"

"Really really."

"Even if we were going to the islet?"

Now he smiled. "Yeah, sure. I'll be sure to protect you. I always will. Just… try to wait up for me, okay?"

She was silent, and that made him feel guilty. "I'm sorry for yelling, I guess… I let my memories get the better of me."

A hug was what he got for that. "Thank you," she whispered.

"Just let me know next time."

They kept going, and Kris tried to ignore the approaching darkness. _Heartless…_ It was a word he knew he should be familiar with. But for whatever reason, the meaning of the name escaped him. _Maybe it has to do with that thing we saw last time we were at the islet…_

He remembered the day well; he, Cyra, and a couple of their friends had gone to the crescent-shaped islet to play around. Most of it had to do with mock dueling and ball games; during one of the latter, the ball flew into the center of the islet, though the "gates" of the crescent. Kris volunteered to get it; before that day, he was carefree and vivacious. After that, he was never the same.

He shuddered every time he thought about the creature he encountered. It seemed to be made entirely out of shadow, with two beady yellow eyes staring expressionlessly at him as he grabbed the ball and ran for dear life. What really scared him was that the creature chased after him, occasionally melding into the ground and popping up a short distance further.

It shouldn't have existed. But there it was, just a week before. He was sure that the creature was waiting for them even as the islet came into sight.

"Well," Cyra said, "there it is. Let's just hope that thing of yours doesn't show up."

"Don't even mention it. Thinking about it gives me the creeps."

"Oh, c'mon, it wasn't that bad, was it?"

Kris was silent, and Cyra seemed to get the hint. Once her initial energy burned off she was much more perceptive of Kris' moods and signals. Right then, his mind was coming up with an escape route in case those things did show up.

His fears seemed unfounded; the islet was quiet as they crossed the stone bridge. However, he could feel the evil in the place. The creature was waiting for them, though it wasn't the first thing they found.

"Kupos! What'd I tell you about going out here?"

They were already across when Montblanc came flitting up behind them, his little wings straining from the effort. Kris had to restrain Cyra from throttling the poor moogle again.

"What is it NOW, Montblanc?" He now knew that the Heartless that Montblanc mentioned and the creature in the islet were one and the same; Montblanc's hurried motions proved that to him.

"I told you last time! It's dangerous out here, kupo! Those Heartless could show up any minute!"

"Heartless?" Cyra asked.

"Monsters that steal people's hearts, kupopo! Because they don't have one! You got to get back on the other side!"

_Oh boy._ Kris knew what was coming next. He cautiously looked behind him and saw the thing from his nightmares.

It looked unassuming; a small, rodent-like creature with long antennae and skinny limbs. The only thing separating it from a giant rat was that it was pure black except for its creepily yellow eyes. On its own, it was pretty non-threatening; in fact, it was almost cute.

Problem was, there were at least twenty more right behind it.

"Holy Toledo! That's right, RUN!" Kris grabbed Cyra by the arm and Montblanc by the pom-pom and half-guided-half-dragged them across the bridge. He took a look behind him to see the Heartless following close behind. What's worse, they were catching up.

"Kupo! Look out!" Montblanc's cry caused Kris to stop in his tracks. In front of them, ten more Heartless were waiting for them, with quasi-inquisitive looks in their eyes.

Kris had only one four-letter word to say. "Crap!" Taking a glance in the other direction, he saw the first batch of Heartless coming up on them. _We're doomed._ Strangely, he felt no fear for his fate, just resignation to it. He closed his eyes and waited for the Heartless to overtake him and steal his heart. He focused what were likely to be his last thoughts on Cyra, his one true friend…

He saw a flash of light pierce his eyelids, and they flew wide open. He had dropped Montblanc and in his place was holding a weapon he had never seen before. It was sized like a sword, but shaped like a key; the teeth were on both sides of the blade. The knuckle-guard was swept and graceful, and the hilt had a small notch where his index finger rested. The whole weapon was gunmetal grey except for the dangling keychain; the pendant was designed like a red fox's bushy tail.

"Whoa, kupo! I knew there was something different about you two!"

"Us two?" Kris thought aloud. He turned to Cyra and saw that she was holding a similar weapon. This one seemed to have a flower motif; the head was designed like a flower, the shaft like a stem, and the keychain like a mini-daisy. The flower-head had pink petals and a yellow center; each petal was sharpened to a deadly point. "What are these things?"

"Keyblades! They're the only thing the Heartless don't like!"

Kris took another glance at his Keyblade, and a newfound determination filled his heart. "They don't like these, eh? Well… maybe we should shove them down their throats!"

And with that, he jumped into action. The first Heartless didn't stand a chance as the Keyblade slammed into its plush head, vaporizing it instantly. More Heartless jumped into action, but they met similar fates. With each Heartless he took down Kris felt a rush of adrenaline that made his blows grow stronger and stronger until he realized he was swinging at empty air.

Cyra had deftly finished the last Heartless. She looked at Kris and gave him a weary grin. "We gave 'em what they came for, eh, Kris?"

Kris laughed. "Yes we did. But…"

On the end of the bridge Montblanc was shaking his head. "Oh, no, kupo… There'll be more, trust me…"

That brought Kris to his senses. "We'd better get back to town.

The next ten minutes passed quickly for Kris as he, Cyra, and Montblanc rushed back to Dawning Bay. His thoughts fell on the townsfolk there and gave him cause for concern. _What if the Heartless already got to them?_ He thought worriedly. His question was soon answered.

The town was in flames; shadows of Heartless dashed through the streets, knocking down townspeople and seemingly stealing their hearts.

"We need to get down there!" Cyra said.

"No, kupo! We'll only get mashed! We need to get outta here."

Kris gazed at the doomed town, watching as the Heartless devoured more and more of his townspeople. He wanted to go down there; he wanted to bash in every single Heartless in sight, not leave a single one standing. But his heart was telling him that it wasn't time yet.

"How do we get away from the Heartless?"

"Kris, you can't be serious!" Cyra gasped, shocked. "We can't just leave them to die! We have to save them!"

"If we go down there now, we might be overwhelmed. And besides, something tells me that simply swinging at these guys won't stop them. We'll come back, I promise. Now, Montblanc," he redirected his attention to the moogle, "How do we get away?"

"I've got a Gummi ship over there. We can use it to go to Radiant Garden and regroup."

Kris would've smiled if it weren't for the situation. "It looks like we're going to another world after all. Let's go."

Montblanc flitted ahead and Kris started to follow, but he noticed that Cyra was stock still. "C'mon, Cyra. There's nothing we can do."

She looked down at her Keyblade and sighed. "What's the point of being given power when you can't use it to help others?"

Kris frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Here we are; we have to power to save all of them… and yet we're leaving them behind."

Now Kris sighed. "I know how you feel right now, but I don't think we have a choice."

She turned on him. "Oh, yeah? You think you know how I feel?"

He took a step back; give Cyra a weapon, and you didn't know what would happen. "Uh…"

"This is MY fault, okay? _I_ caused all this to happen. I was stupid enough to not believe you, Kris; if we never went to the islet, this would've never happened." She glanced desperately at Dawning Bay. "Their lost hearts… they're on my hands."

"That's a load of crap, and you know it, Cyra. This wasn't your fault; it's the Heartless. They probably would've come after Dawning Bay whether we instigated them or not. But none of that matters right now," he continued at he grasped her shoulder. "What matters right now is that we get out of here… to fight another day, if need be."

A small tear streaked down her cheek as she nodded. "Okay."

He took her hand. "Okay. Follow me."

Montblanc was waiting impatiently by a strange-looking craft when Kris and Cyra approached. "C'mon, kupos! We need to get out of here NOW!"

Kris nodded and guided Cyra towards what he assumed to be the Gummi ship Montblanc mentioned. As Cyra got in, Kris felt a sudden deep chill in his heart. He turned just in time to see the figure in a black coat come rushing up to him. In his hands was a Keyblade.

"Oh, no." The figure had a hood over his head, but the Keyblade was plain to see; it had a ghostly-white shaft and guard, both modeled after (or perhaps with) human bones. The teeth were the teeth of a vampire's skull, with two long fangs jutting out; it was definitely a weapon Kris didn't want to tangle with.

But he had no choice; with a yell the figure launched himself at Kris. Kris barely had time to shove Cyra into the ship and draw his Keyblade to fend off the attacker. Unfortunately for Kris, the assailant's objective seemed to be achieved; the ramp slid shut behind him.

He was alone with the stranger with a black hood. And something told him that Montblanc couldn't stop to pick him up.

Wielding his Keyblade with a graceful flourish, Kris went on the offensive, determined to take down the stranger before he was taken out by the Heartless. Even then he could see the world literally breaking apart, sucked into a menacing black hole. Meanwhile, giant Heartless were capturing anyone lucky enough to survive the initial onslaught.

The stranger was quick, but eventually he succumbed to Kris' persistence. His Keyblade was knocked out of his hand, clattering harmlessly on the ground. Kris held up his own Keyblade to the stranger's neck, anger rising. "You made a big mistake just now."

"Likewise," a voice from behind him said. He didn't even have time to retaliate; he felt a Keyblade's teeth impact the back of his head and knock him onto the dirt. Barely conscious, he saw the first stranger joined by a second stranger, this one wielding a pitch-black Keyblade with the teeth modeled like a raven's wings.

"Too bad; I hoped to get him," the first stranger said in a mature yet boyish voice.

"You weren't quick enough," the second stranger replied with an accent. "Maybe next time."

"I doubt that there'll be a next time; the way the Heartless are going, there won't be much left of this world."

The second stranger laughed, as if the first had said something amusing. "You'd be surprised by what us Keyblade wielders can endure. Now, let us leave before the Heartless finish their job." Kris heard their footsteps echo away before he slipped into unconsciousness, and presumably… to oblivion.

_I felt myself falling. Falling so far that I started to forget who I was, what I stood for, even why I existed in the first place. Memories flashed across my eyes like vague paintings; I wasn't able to make any sense of them, but I knew that they meant something to me. My mind especially flashed on this girl, someone called… Cyra. Yeah, Cyra. Wow, did we have some times together. Her eyes, her hair… Man, why did I let her slip by?_

_Things were starting to get darker. My Keyblade started to slip out of my grasp, but I held fast. If anything could defend me from the darkness, it was that blade. I didn't know where it came from, or why it chose me… But I know that it means a lot of responsibility. Power doesn't come for free. You've gotta earn it. Maybe… maybe I do know why the Keyblade chose me._

_But Cyra… will I ever see her again? Will I ever get to tell her how I truly feel? And what about Dawning Bay? My hometown, taken by the Heartless… that's not how I want it to be written._

_I won't let the darkness overtake me. Inside every human being there is a spark; a spark of passion, a spark of hope, it doesn't matter. It's still light. And this light… it'll never go out._

_I see a bright light. I'm not falling anymore; now I'm floating towards this light. Beyond that light was another world; in my eyes, it was salvation._

_Looks like the worlds aren't done with me yet._

Kris woke to the sensation of a wet tongue rolling over his face. His eyes fluttered open to see a yellow dog with a green collar grinning at him. He looked around and saw that he was in a red-brick alleyway, with a stack of boxes sitting to his left. The dog was still there.

"Ugh… Where am I?" he asked himself. He checked the tag on the dog's collar; it said in tiny letters "PLUTO". _What kind of name is Pluto?_ "Hey, uh, Pluto… You know where I am?"

Pluto barked twice and galloped out of the alleyway, yipping incessantly.

"Hey, wait!" Kris shouted and ran after him.

And that, my friends, is the beginning of this grand adventure…


	2. Chapter 2

Kingdom Hearts: The Xaben Chronicles

Chapter Two: Replicated

"Every accomplishment starts with the decision to try."

Author Unknown

Dawning Bay

The boy in the black coat watched as the Heartless dug their way into the world's surface, seeking that ever-powerful object at the center. The heart of a world was the most cherished possession it could ever have; to have it taken by such creatures… It was heart-wrenching. Literally.

Next to him, the boy's master looked on emotionlessly. The boy had always thought his master to be a little on the harsh side, but he never questioned his orders; for living as long as he had, the master's will was the apprentice's willing command. A thousand years is a long time for a person to live, after all.

"Do you know what you must do next?" the master inquired.

"Yeah," replied the boy. "Make sure the job is done. But what happens to me if…"

"If he loses his heart?" the master laughed. "Do not worry; you are not linked to him as the other one was; if he loses his heart, it would actually be of benefit to you."

"I see." The boy turned back to the destruction. "He fell pretty deep into the darkness. Do you think that he created a Nobody?"

The master paused in thought. "It could be possible. In that case, destroy the Nobody as well. And when you are done with him, destroy his friend."

This made the boy start. He hadn't anticipated this.

The master turned to him, and the boy knew there was a stern look on his aged face. "You seemed to have picked up more from him that I anticipated. Will your usefulness end prematurely, I wonder…"

"I heed and obey," the boy said quickly. That flicker of feeling… he wouldn't allow it to get in his way.

It didn't belong to him, anyway.

Kris felt the back of his neck tingling as he rushed through the strange town he had found himself in after the attack on his home. The image of the Heartless eating away the small adobes of the village burned into his mind. He clearly remembered every scorching detail of the assault, as if it was happening right then and there.

_I won't forget, and I won't forgive,_ Kris resolved to himself, searing the two black-coated men into his permanent memory. Those two _had_ to be behind the attack, they just _had_ to; otherwise, who else would've brought the Heartless there?

He turned around a corner and cursed: dead end. Rushing off into another direction, he found himself in a well-lit central plaza with an outdoor tavern and a red mailbox. A sign that said "Huey, Dewey, and Louie's Item Shop" hung above a door-bell, the latter of which was above the actual door; to the side another sign advertised, "We sell only the best of stuff!"

_As if I had munny to spend,_ Kris thought, fingering the ten tiny gold coins in his pocket. _Better make it last; I don't know how long I'll be here._

Dashing out of the plaza, Kris found himself in what a large billboard said was District Two; it was a bit more spacious than the plaza, but without any real businesses. Kris ignored the sign indicating a hotel and ran down the stairs, past the fountain—

And headlong into an immovable body. Kris bounced off the man's back, landing on his rear, flipping over, and landing on his rear again.

"Ouch! What was that for?" Kris shouted at the stranger, his nerves frayed as there were.

The stranger didn't move at first; from the back, Kris saw that he was wearing slim denim jeans, a black leather vest and brown cotton shirt, a pair of black-and-white sneakers, and a distinctive keychain in his back pocket. His long, scruffy brown hair hung loose at neck-length and was tied in a short ponytail. He then turned around, allowing Kris to see his face: youthful features with deep hazel eyes and a small dragon tattoo on the side of his neck.

"I should ask you the same question, kid," the stranger said coolly. "What _was_ that for?"

"I mean, standing in the middle of the road, waiting to get hit!" Kris snapped back.

The stranger paused. "You seem lost."

"Hell yes!" Kris shouted, surprised by his own vulgarity. "I've been tossed around in darkness, not knowing whether even half of my existence was there or not, and then woke up in this kooky town with nothing to go on but a damned yellow mutt!"

In what Kris assumed was a rare moment in his life, the stranger smiled. "You and this whole town, kid."

"Yeah, ri-" Kris stopped. "The whole _town?_"

"Yeah, kid. Whenever a world is taken by the Heartless, survivors come right here. Traverse Town; the town where remnants dwell and decay."

Kris didn't know how exactly to respond to that. "Okay… Anyway, name's Kris, not kid."

The stranger regarded him before answering that. "Name's Glenn. And Kris, you are _definitely_ lost."

The younger boy boiled, but he said, "Yeah, I guess so."

Glenn smiled again. "We don't get many of your kind around here, by the way. Not since recently, anyway."

"My kind?"

"Keyblade wielders. Usually they wind up dead in the Realm Between and get sent to darkness. Guess you're one of the lucky ones."

Kris looked down. "Oh."

"Don't worry about it, Kris; you're not the only one who's survived. There _are_ others, they're just not making themselves known right now. Well, except one."

"Who?"

"Sora, the kid from Destiny Islands. Word has it he's training to become a Keyblade Master. I heard that he failed the first Mark, though." Glenn looked off into the distance, seemingly forgetting Kris. "The kid doesn't know what he's up against."

"Excuse me?"

"Nothing," Glenn said hastily. "Anyway, you must be starved after all that action. How much munny do you have on you?"

"Ten coins… Why?"

"Alright then, I'm buying," Glenn concluded. But then his ears pricked up, and he looked behind him. Kris also got that feeling that something sinister was gathering, like when he was at the—

"Glenn?" he said, fear creeping into his voice. "We've gotta go, like _now_."

"Don't sweat it," Glenn said casually. "I can take 'em."

"But you don't have a weapon…"

The older boy chuckled. Then, holding out his hand, he called his weapon to him. To Kris' surprise, it was a Keyblade; though this one's blade was bigger and flat and colored flame-red with the teeth modeled after a hawk's talon and including an icy-light blue circle-hilt. The keychain was that of Glenn's pocket-chain, with a pair of outspread osprey wings at the end.

"I did say 'not since recently,' right?" Glenn asked with a smirk.

Kris looked at Glenn, then at the Keyblade, then back at Glenn. Then, smiling, he called his own Keyblade. "Let's trash some shadows."

The Heartless were the same as the ones at Dawning Bay's islet; small, a little on the cutesy side, and numerous. Kris had no problem bashing the Shadows' heads in with his two-handed samurai style, while Glenn used a more practiced one-handed flourish in his strikes.

With the last Shadow, Kris leapt up and, pointing his Keyblade down, slammed the tip into its forehead. The little bug exploded on impact, leaving wispy black remains to seep back into the ground.

"Not bad for a new bearer," Glenn observed, "though I would've more focus on defense."

Kris glanced at Glenn, then away. "It's none of your business how I fight."

"True," Glenn replied. "But I thought you could use a little advice."

He looked up again and realized something. _Despite appearances, he truly wants to help me,_ Kris surmised, and he repeated this line of reasoning to Glenn.

"I guess so, but also we Key-bearers have got to stick together, right?"

_Haven't thought of it like that before._ "Yeah, I guess so."

"Good to hear. So, anyway, I think I owe you some ice cream. C'mon, kid, let's go; I know the perfect place."

Kris thus found himself licking on a sea-salt ice cream bar with Glenn watching closely with his own. The younger boy had been plying Glenn with questions about the Keyblade, other worlds, Gummi ships, and all of the wonders in the Realms when a very unusual guest arrived.

Without looking down, Kris might have missed him; but he just happened to glance that direction and caught the little blob of blue that leapt up to greet him. He grunted in surprise as he was knocked from his stool, with a strange-teardrop creature with round eyes and a goofy, toothless smile grinned at him.

"Looks like you've made a new friend, Kris," Glenn observed, chuckling. The little teardrop in turn started to bounce on Kris' chest, clearly enjoying itself.

"Hey, take it easy, little guy," Kris said as he grabbed the teardrop by the sides and held it up to see. It needed no embellishment; it was literally a teardrop-shaped blob of cute blue goop, though it didn't feel all that goopy. Rather, it felt like a plush doll.

"That's a slime," Glenn explained. "They're getting common around here; I guess that they lost their world, too."

Hearing this, the slime's smile disappeared, though it still looked cute.

"Hey, you hurt his feelings!" Kris chastised light-heartedly. "It's okay, little guy, ignore that mean old Glenn, okay?"

This made the slime smile again. Not only that; it made him jump free from Kris' hands and smother itself in his face, practically oozing affection.

"Hey, cut it out, buddy, c'mon, stop it!" he laughed as he fell over again. Glenn laughed along while the townspeople looked on in amazed disbelief.

The back of Kris' neck tingled, his body went cold, and he started to hear the alarms go off in his head. He pried the slime off of his face, knowing somehow that its name was Rocket, and looked out into the plaza.

There, waiting for him, was a boy in a black coat.

"How'd _he_ get here?" Kris asked in anger as he drew his Keyblade.

"What? Not happy to see me?" the boy said in a mocking tone. "Guess that defeats the purpose of my visit then, eh, Kris?"

"Sorry, but our last meeting didn't go over very well," Kris replied icily, now knowing that this was the same guy.

"Oh, is that right? I thought it went quite well. Got to wail on another Key-bearer and meet the guy who started it all for me. Y'know, when you found that first Heartless?" The boy clucked his tongue. "It wasn't Cyra's fault after all. No, it was _your_ fault that Dawning Bay is now a big expanse of darkness!"

Kris roared in anger and lunged at his enemy with an unfocused swing of his Keyblade. The boy merely sidestepped and swiped in return, grazing Kris' cheek. In retaliation Kris swung in reverse, this time catching the opposition in the hood and ripping it off. By now Glenn had his Keyblade out, but he stopped at a curious detail.

At first, the boy's face was hidden. Then he started laughing. "Wow, you really are desperate to find out who I am, eh? Well…" He revealed his all-too-familiar face. "Guess I'll oblige."

The boy, besides a shorter haircut and a crossed pair of scars, was a carbon copy of Kris.

"Who… who the hell _are you?_" Kris asked in a fury.

"Name's Xirsk, Kris. See, I'm your Replica, created when you talked with that old merchant back on Dawning Bay. You thought he was _so_ innocent, but you were wrong!" Xirsk let out a sharp laugh. "That was my future master, the great Xaben. And he's given me a mission: To eliminate all obstacles in our plans. Including," he continued, readying his Keyblade, "you."

Kris was dumbfounded. That old, doddering salesman he had met nearly ten years ago was Xirsk's _master_? How could he have let himself be so vulnerable? _I was only six; what kind of person would do that to a six-year-old?_

"I know what you're thinking, Kris," Xirsk said while wagging a finger at him. "Why would Master Xaben want to replicate you? Well, the answer is simple! He wanted me!" Now he cackled, and Kris got a rare glimpse of what he would look like if he went bad.

"I don't care what you're planning, or who your master is," Kris growled. "But one thing is for certain: You destroyed my home-world… and for that, I'll never forgive you!" With another roar, Kris charged at Xirsk, catching the Replica in the gut and completely by surprise. The effect was like a golfer hitting a golf ball with a driver, and thus Xirsk went flying onto a rooftop. He landed with a _thud_ and barely had time to block when Kris leapt up there and struck again.

Kris had never been so angry in his life; he kept bashing at Xirsk's Keyblade, causing flecks of material to chip off the shaft. He imagined that instead of a bone-modeled weapon he was hitting Xirsk's actually femur; the thought made him redoubled his efforts. Finally, he knocked the Keyblade out of Xirsk's hands, and was about to bash in his head when he disappearedfrom under him.

Xirsk rematerialized next to his Keyblade, taking it and fighting back. The Replica went for a chopping blow, but Kris deftly blocked the attack and with a twist of his body slammed his pommel into Xirsk's diaphragm, knocking him back. Xirsk recovered and went for a sideswiping maneuver, but Kris ducked under the attack and hooked Xirsk's ankle with his Keyblade's teeth. When Xirsk went down, Kris came up and attempted to stab him in the heart, but Xirsk again disappeared and reappeared behind Kris.

This pattern continued for a good two minutes, with both sides trying variations of the same but neither landing a decisive blow. All the while Kris was thinking, _Where the hell is Glenn?_

He got his answer very quickly, for Glenn had leapt up and, without Xirsk being any the wiser, smashed his Keyblade into the Replica's head. Instead of the explosion of brain matter Kris expected, Glenn's blade made an impact on Xirsk's head like a block of Jell-o. Which definitely still hurt, for Xirsk immediately fell to the ground.

While Xirsk was down, Kris asked, "Where were you?"

"Had to take care of some Heartless real fast. By the way, you might wanna keep that slime, Rocket, around; he's pretty useful. Especially with that rocket of his."

Kris laughed for the first time since Rocket had first landed on him. "Will do."

"Cute, real _cute_," Xirsk mumbled. "And kind of a backhanded blow for you, now is it, Glenn?"

Now Kris was confused. "You know this guy?" he asked Glenn.

Glenn was equally confused. "Never met him in my life."

"Idiot!" Xirsk exclaimed as he evaporated yet again and rematerialized on top of a chimney. "Whatever sensations Kris feels, I feel, got it? Now I'm through with you. Oh, and by the way, you'll never find Cyra, Kris. I'll see to that!"

Before Kris could react, Xirsk vaporized himself again, this time _not_ reappearing in Kris' sight.

Glenn put away his Keyblade. "Well, looks like you've got more problems than I do, kid."

Kris paused before speaking. "I've got to find her. She's out there somewhere with Montblanc and Xirsk is going after her!"

By then Rocket had found his way up and, sensing Kris' distress, snuggled against his foot.

"Oh, Rocket…" Kris murmured. Then he picked up the slime and gave him a big squeeze. "I don't know why you chose me… but I'm glad you did."

Rocket let out a small yip, as if to say, "Sure thing, Kris."

Patting Rocket one more time, Kris turned to Glenn. "So how do we get out of Traverse Town?"

"I know someone who might be able to help with that."

"I didn't know Traverse Town had a dock for Gummi ships!" Kris commented when they arrived.

"It was left here when one of the original residents moved back to Radiant Garden. After this place was reawakened people started using it as a way to refuel Gummi ships."

"Reawakened?"

"Long story. Anyway, one of the captains here might be willing to take on a couple of Key-bearers. His name's Sterling, if I remember correctly; supposedly he's an ally of the Keyblade Master Yen Sid, who lives over by Twilight Town."

"You do realize that this is all over my head, right?"

"Oh, sorry. Forgot for a second."

"So where's Sterling?"

"Over this way. His Gummi is called the _Starflight_; don't be shocked when you see it."

This got Kris curious, but he didn't comment.

Walking along the various Gummi ships docked in the harbor, Kris took a moment to observe each one. When he finally couldn't take it he asked, "What are these things made of?"

"Gummi parts. They're pieces of meteors that fell when the barriers between the worlds were shattered. Afterwards some genius at Disney Castle figured out how to make them into a working starship."

"So we're basically riding on a bunch of jumbled-up meteorites?"

"Basically, yeah."

"Shoot."

They finally arrived at Sterling's bay, and despite Glenn's warning Kris _was_ shocked and amazed at how such a craft could fly. It was essentially the front of a steam engine without the cars trailing behind. It shone like the sun, mainly because its skin was a bright gold, but other than that it was just a gilded locomotive.

"We're flying in _that?_"

"I told you not to be shocked."

"Well, hell, I'll be as shocked as I want! There's no way we're flying in that thing!"

"Have you ever seen a Gummi ship other than this one?"

"No—Well, yes, I saw Montblanc's before he took off." _With Cyra…_

"Did it look similar to this one?"

Kris did a double-take. "Actually, yes."

"Then you have nothing to worry about." Glenn strode up to the side of the _Starflight _and banged hard on the door.

"Who the flap is out there?" A shrill female voice said.

"Stella, it's me, Glenn. Is Sterling in there?"

"Old fatguts? No, he went to the pub-" There was a pause. "Wait, that's _you,_ Glenn?"

Glenn barely had time to move out of the way before the door swung wide open and the speaker was revealed. She was a fairy with tanned skin, long blonde hair decorated with a big blooming flower, and wearing a frilly orange dress. Her movements upon seeing Glenn were animated and even a little childish.

Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, _oh my gosh!_ Glenn, it really is you, you flapping bonehead! Where've you been?"

"Making new friends. Stella, this is Kris; he's a Key-bearer like me."

Stella's attention turned suddenly to Kris, which made him uncomfortable. It made him even more so when Stella flitted quickly towards him until their eyes were inches apart. "Oh really? He doesn't seem too much like a Key-bearer to me. More like a weed."

"Come closer and say that," he hissed.

"Whoa, okay, okay, I flapping got it!" Stella backed off. "So you wanna see fatguts, right? What for?"

"We just need to haul jets out of here, that's all. Thought Sterling might need a few extra hands."

"Aw, anything for you, sweetie! I'll go get fat—I mean, Captain Sterling right away!" And with that, Stella transformed into a pink ball of light and flashed off, presumably to find the captain.

"Why do I get the feeling she likes you?" Kris asked.

"Eh, she does that with everyone. She's really just a kid, but you really can't tell."

"Hardly."

Within ten minutes Stella had returned with a huge, muscular-looking man who had a conductor's uniform on if there ever was one. His eyes found Glenn and he smiled. "Well, wot 'ave we got 'ere? Glenn, Stella told me ya needed to use the ol' Starflight, eh?"

"Yep, that's right. We've got worlds so see and such."

"Well, that makes two o' us!" Sterling replied with a boisterous laugh. Then he found Kris. "Ay, wot's wit the shrimp?"

"First weed, now shrimp?" Kris asked indignantly. "Excuse me, I'm a Keyblade wielder!"

Sterling seemed to do a double-take. Then he nodded. "Yep, you're a Key-bearer alright. Well, let's git a move on! Stella, fire up the engines; we're in it fer the long haul."

"Aye-aye, captain!" Stella saluted, giving Glenn a wink at the same time. Then the two went inside the _Starflight _ to prep it for flight.

"I'm telling you, Glenn, that fairy really likes you."

"Oh, shut up. She does that with _everyone_."

"Didn't do it with me."

"Like I said, shut up."

Author's Note: Yes, I am adding Dragon Quest characters to the Kingdom Hearts universe. But before you fly off the handle note this: Dragon Quest is owned by Square Enix, one of the two companies involved in the creation of Kingdom Hearts alongside Disney. Also note that in Kingdom Hearts 3D, characters from the Square Enix DS game _The World Ends With You_ are set to appear. So I'm really not doing anything new here.


	3. Chapter 3

Kingdom Hearts: The Xaben Chronicles

Chapter Three: Proxies

Unknown Location in the Realm Between

Xirsk looked up at the twelve figures staring at him from thrones high above and knew that he was about to be sharply reprimanded. On the highest throne, his master waited patiently as the others argued over their plans and how they were suddenly coming under threat.

Once he had heard enough, he waved his hand and produced silence. "Xirsk… Why have you failed us again?"

Xirsk's scar twitched. "Master, it is not as you think. He has proven more powerful than I could imagine. To think that I was born from his heart frankly leaves a lot to be desired."

He couldn't see the master's face under his hood, but Xirsk knew what he was thinking. "So I see. This… this was unforeseen, Xirsk. It must be dealt with swiftly, lest all our plans be for naught."

"Yes, master."

The master acknowledged Xirsk, then turned to two of the other figures on thrones. "You shall take care of the boy; leave no trace of his heart. As for the girl…" He rose. "She is a curious case. I wish for more information to be gathered on her... Do you understand?"

"We do, my lord," the two figures responded in unison.

"Good. Now, Xirsk…" He turned back to his single apprentice. "I suppose you won't need this for a while." He then held up Dusk Bones, which had disappeared from Xirsk's grasp.

"Master!" the apprentice gasped, shocked.

"You shall have it returned once you have done your due duty as one of my apprentices. Fail me once more, and I will no longer have any use of you."

Rage boiled in Xirsk's replicated heart, but he held his tongue. "As you wish, Master Xaben."

Radiant Garden

Darkness. That's all Cyra remembered of the trip to Radiant Garden. A blanketing darkness that encompassed her eyes and heart. She couldn't see, she couldn't feel, she could hardly even breathe. The darkness was crushing her with her own sorrow.

Everything she had known was gone. Just like that, gone. The Heartless destroyed everything that was dear to her and much more.

All she could think about was the only light in her world since her father died in a skirmish with fiends seven years ago and her mother went comatose with grief: Kris. He had taken care of her since those dark days and had proven to be her truest friend. Even then, she realized he was something much more.

_Kris… Kris… I don't know if you can hear me… but I… I… I always wanted to say it, but I could never find the words… I… love—_

A tremor shook through her body, jolting her awake. She was in a brightly colored cockpit, sitting on a chair that seemed a bit small on her. She looked up and saw another, similar chair turned away from her uttering strange curses.

"Oh, flan's arse, _kupo!_ Why won't the confounded thing work? Work, _kupo_, work!" There was a banging as Montblanc attempted to get something to function properly. "C'mon, you worthless piece of space junk! Get a move on!"

"Montblanc…" Cyra said groggily. "What happened?"

"Stupid navigation computer, _kupo_; it won't plot the course I need! Oh, if only Nono were here… he'd know how to work the confounded thing!"

"Can I try?"

"No can do, _kupo._ This is complicated stuff here; I doubt you'd get the half of it."

"Can I _try?_"

"Okay, okay, knock yourself out, _kupopo_!" Montblanc snapped in frustration as he wheeled away from the computer. Cyra took one look at it and knew exactly what was wrong; she simply pressed a button and the screen turned back on.

"Try it now?"

Montblanc's pom-pom hung down, a gesture matched by his lower jaw. "Why didn't I think of that, _kupo_?" Wheeling back into position, he typed in a few coordinates and flumped back into his chair. "Okay, we're off again!"

"How'd it turn off?" Cyra asked in curiosity.

"Dunno; guess I wasn't paying attention." Montblanc pressed another button, and then Cyra was flung back into her seat as the Gummi ship went warp-speed. When the ship finally stopped, Cyra flung forward and barely caught herself before she went flying into the windshield.

"Ouch! A little warning next time?"

"Sorry, _kupo_; sometimes this warp has quite a kick. Reminds me of the big fluffy yellow-birds back home. Ugh!" he shivered, "not good memories."

Cyra didn't laugh. "So does this mean we're at Radiant Garden?"

"Yes, _kupo_, it's right over there!" Montblanc pointed towards a drifting mass in the distance. Its prominent feature was a huge ruined castle that seemed to dwarf the town next to it.

"Okay; let's turn back."

"What?"

"You heard me; let's go back to Dawning Bay and save Kris!"

"_Kupo_… Kris is most likely gone. There's no point in going back."

"Oh, so you think there's no hope, don't you?" Cyra said, her tone turning fierce. "You think that he's dead, don't you? My friend is back there, and we can't go save him, is that right?"

Montblanc paused. "I never said he was dead, _kupo…_ I merely said he was _gone_. He could be somewhere else; his heart could've taken him anywhere, really."

Cyra glared, but her anger was fading. "So… you think he's alive?"

"For his sake, I certainly hope so. But Cyra, going back and trying to reverse that darkness is being way in over our heads. We need reinforcements, _kupo_, more light to pierce that darkness… We don't have that, we may as well give up."

The glare had disappeared. "I… I'm sorry." Then she started crying.

"_Kupo…_" Montblanc said before attempting to hug Cyra. She in turn accepted the embrace, gently squeezing the moogle in stark contrast to her previous encounter with him.

"Montblanc… He was more than just my friend. So much more… I thought maybe… we had a chance."

"Cyra, believe me, I will do my best to see you two back together again. Okay, _kupo?_"

Cyra nodded. "Thank you, Montblanc."

"Don't worry about it, _kupo._ You'll be just fine."

Montblanc landed the Gummi ship at the Radiant Garden docks just outside the market plaza and opened the bay doors. Cyra walked out to see a completely different world than her native town. Stray piping jutted out of the buildings and walls alike, giving the marketplace a somewhat ungainly appearance. There weren't many people, but Cyra expected that from a place as junked as this.

"Okay, Cyra, I'm going to go let Leon know that you're here," Montblanc said. "While I do that, go ahead and explore, but don't go _too_ far. Understand, _kupo?_"

"Understood," Cyra replied.

As Montblanc flitted away, Cyra leaned against the warm hull of the Gummi ship. After five minutes she took out her Keyblade and started examining it more closely. It looked exactly as it was; a weapon, nothing more, nothing less. At least, that's what Cyra saw at first.

But upon closer examination Cyra noticed an aura starting to gather around the tip of the blade. Curious, she raised the Keyblade up into the air and focused, hoping to make _something_ happen.

Something did; a thin beam of light shot out of the tip of the blade, reaching all the way into the magenta sky. Looking up, Cyra saw the effect; the entire sky burst with light, the shockwave revealing the thousands of stars in the sky. She watched slack-jawed as the wave dissipated, leaving the stars clearly visible. It was truly beautiful.

"Stunning, isn't it?" a voice said from above. Cyra quickly readied her blade, looking up at the source lounging on the hull. He was around Cyra's age, only with grey, nearly white hair and a slim build. He wore something similar to the black coat that Kris' attacker wore, only in a light shade of grey, darker than his hair, but way lighter than black. His eyes were at first trained on the sky, but when he looked down Cyra could swear she saw a thousand years back in them.

"This is the wonder of the worlds; each star has an entire realm to it, each very different from the last. I wish I could say I had seen them all, but that would be assuming too much." The boy spoke with a refined accent, not too prominent but noticeable. The accent reminded Cyra of a schoolboy from Dawning Bay's rich-person academy.

"Who are you?" she asked cautiously.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Isaac; I am like you in a way. I too wield a Keyblade of light."

"Okay… How'd you get there without me noticing?"

"There are two sides to everything, Cyra."

"Oh, right." She looked down, but then realized something and looked up sharply. "Wait, how'd you know my name?"

"I know many things, Cyra. About your journey here, about where you are headed and where you will end up, _and_," he jumped off the Gummi ship and landed next to a surprised Cyra, "about your potential."

Cyra sighed. "Great. What else do you know about me, my birthday?"

"July 23rd."

"Damn!" She turned away then smiled deviously. "Okay… how 'bout my greatest secret? The one I've never told anyone before and am not about to in a million years?"

"Isn't that the reason you were so eager to go back to Dawning Bay?"

"Gah, damn again! How do you know so much about me?"

"To be entirely honest, I don't know."

Her trust of Isaac took a nosedive. "You don't _know_?"

"Nope. Not even a clue."

"Okay…" She thought for a second before posing her next question. "Can you at least prove that you have a Keyblade?"

"That I can do," Isaac replied. He then outstretched his hand and, in a flash, conjured a beautifully-crafted orange and yellow Keyblade. Its head and teeth were modeled after the sun's rays and the guard was swept-hilt with a hint of the ocean's waves.

Cyra stared for a minute. "Okay, you've convinced me," she said afterwards.

"That I am a Keyblade wielder, but not that I am someone to trust."

"Can you read my mind or something?"

"No, but I can read facial expressions quite well."

She didn't think she was _that_ obvious, of course. "Sorry."

"No, no, Cyra, you have perfect reason not to trust a total stranger. But if I were to tell you that your friend is still alive and well, would you believe me?"

_Kris is alive?_ "How would you know?" she said instead, masking her excitement behind a placid face.

"I just do. Ah, but I have to go," he said suddenly. And just like that, he vanished in a puff of smoke, as if he was never there.

"Hey, _kupo!_" the reason for Isaac's disappearance called out. "Leon wants to see you!"

Cyra stared at the spot where Isaac was standing before saying, "Okay, be right there."

The house Montblanc showed to Cyra was small and nondescript, but the size of the computer in the main room told her that not all was as it seemed. There were a number of people within, all huddled around the computer. One woman was clothed in a plaid minidress and had her brown hair tied behind her while another had short black hair and reminded Cyra of a ninja by the way she was dressed. The man typing at the computer had short, spiky blonde hair and a twig between his teeth, wearing a white cargo shirt and khaki pants. Another man leaning against the wall had neck-length brown hair and a diagonal facial scar while wearing a somewhat biker-looking outfit; a strange weapon like a fusion between a revolver and a sword leaned likewise next to him.

"Leon, I've found one!" Montblanc declared triumphantly to the latter man. "Took a while, but I think I've got one of the seven Master Yen Sid wanted!"

Leon glanced over at Cyra and gave her a quick scan. "That's for Yen Sid to decide. I'd better contact him." He started walking to another room. "Aerith, let me know if Rinoa stops by. I swear, she's gonna give me a migraine one of these days."

Aerith, the brown-haired girl, giggled before answering, "Of course, Leon." She then turned to Cyra. "Welcome to Radiant Garden. What might your name be?"

Cyra introduced herself, then asked, "Who's Yen Sid?"

"Eh, he's only the most powerful Keyblade Master in existence," the man at the computer grunted.

"Aw, give her a rest, Cid," the ninja-girl chided. "You can't expect everyone to know Yen Sid."

"Yeah, those people that live under rocks, Yuffie," Cid retorted grumpily. "Doubt she'll make the cut, either; Yen Sid's picky about whom he chooses as apprentices, y'know."

Aerith glanced at Cid then smiled sweetly at Cyra. "Don't mind him; he's just had a rough day."

Cyra honestly thought that _every_ day was a bad day for Cid. "Okay."

Just then, Leon came back into the room and shook his head. "Yen Sid says no."

"_What?_" Montblanc shouted indignantly. "I search high and low for her, nearly got eaten by Heartless among other things, only to have the Master turn her down?"

"That's right, Montblanc."

"Oh, fiddlesticks, _kupo!_"

Cyra gave a small laugh. "It's okay, Montblanc. I prefer on-the-job training anyway."

"That's the spirit!" Yuffie cheered. "That's how I learned!"

"Yeah, what about your master, Yuffie?" Cid asked snidely.

"Hey, that's not fair, gramps!"

"What, trying to make an impression?"

"Wha—No!"

"Uh, guys…" Cyra interjected. "Something's going off on the computer."

Sure enough, the symbol of a envelope was going off on the screen. "Better check that," Cid said before clicking on it.

Cyra's blood ran cold when the video screen popped up and revealed a man in a black coat standing within a ruined room.

"Organization XIII?" Yuffie shouted in surprise, which reflected the general reaction in the room.

The man on the other end merely chortled. "That rabble? No, I am afraid that you did not get so lucky." He took off his hood to reveal a craggy and scarred face with yellow eyes and crew-cut orange hair. "My name is Axamar, and I am a Servant of the Brotherhood."

"What do you want?" Cyra asked with a little more anger than she intended.

"Ooh, sounds like we have a fighter in you, young Keyblade wielder." Axamar chuckled again, an increasingly unpleasant sound to Cyra. "What is the matter? Cannot live without your dear friend, Kris? I will have you know, he will be no more before the day is done."

Her rage became a boil. "Oh, yeah? And how are you so sure about that?"

"None that cross the Brotherhood are left with their hearts," Axamar answered contemptuously. "As is this little prize we found wandering the castle…" The viewpoint in the screen turned, revealing it to be shot from a camera of sorts. What it showed, however, disturbed everyone in the room.

"Rinoa?" Leon asked in shock, though he did a good job in not showing it. On the screen was the image of a badly battered woman with long caramel-streaked black hair chained to a post and guarded over by a dozen or so Heartless. She wore a long rib-knit blue duster sweater on top of a black halter and a buttoned skirt. She groaned painfully in response to Leon's call.

"If you wish to see her again, heroes of Radiant Garden," Axamar was saying, "you will bring me the Key-bearer and hand her over. If you do so, I will spare your dear friend."

"You're completely mad, _kupo!_" Montblanc squeaked furiously. "We wouldn't give up Cyra for that! Right, Cyra?"

No answer. "Cyra?" Montblanc asked again before turning around.

"Oh, fuzz-buzzles."

Cyra had left; the door flapped as a result of her hasty departure.

She wasn't about to let Axamar have his way with Rinoa. Cyra was going in to the rescue whether anyone wanted her to or not. She dashed through the borough towards the bailey, then past the bailey up to the castle gates.

Ten Heartless soldiers were milling around the gates; several swings from Cyra's Keyblade took them out, leaving the castle ready to be stormed. Before anyone could catch up with her, Cyra dashed into the heart of the castle, ready to bash in Axamar's head on sight.

She immediately wished she had waited; the castle was a virtual maze, with debris blocking otherwise traversable paths and Heartless patrolling the unblocked paths. Even with the Heartless around, Cyra was still able to find a path through to the room where Axamar was.

When she got there, Axamar was lounging on a small throne-looking seat, smiling mischievously. It took a second for Cyra to realize why: Rinoa was already unchained and stood with her shoulders hunched back and her eyes staring at the floor.

"Rinoa!" Cyra called, hoping to get her attention.

"Sorry, Cyra; I am afraid Rinoa isn't here right now," Axamar said, taking a bite out of a red apple.

Cyra rolled her eyes. _Idiot._ "She standing right there."

"Aye, her body is," Rinoa suddenly said, oddly considering that it didn't sound like her. Rather, it seemed to be her voice combined with a more masculine one in stereo, which made for a rather spooky effect.

_Uh-oh._ "Okay… If you aren't Rinoa, then… who are you?"

Rinoa smiled demonically, which Cyra decided was uncharacteristic of her. Then she stretched out her hand and summoned a Keyblade.

The same raven-wing Keyblade Cyra saw at Dawning Bay.

"You!" she shouted, summoning her own Keyblade.

"Correct, Cyra. It is I. But this is not the only weapon at my disposal." 'Rinoa' then put out her other hand and summoned another Keyblade, this time the bone-modeled one that belonged to Kris' original attacker.

_Whoa, boy._ Without a thought other than that one, Cyra lunged at the possessed Rinoa, leaping acrobatically with her Keyblade. Rinoa, however, merely blocked the blow with one blade and swatted Cyra away with the other, sending the young Keyblade wielder flying. She slid on the slick marble floor of the castle before hitting her back on a pillar, then jumped back up and lunged again.

This time Cyra had more luck; she managed a grazing blow across Rinoa's torso, causing a shallow scratch. She dodged the bone-modeled Keyblade and hooked Rinoa's legs with the teeth of her own, knocking her down. Rinoa's possessor recovered quickly, responding with a spinning kick that forced Cyra to somersault back.

_He's tougher than I thought,_ Cyra thought. _Even if he's possessing Rinoa, he's way above me in skill. Guess it's time for a little trickery._ "So… Who are you really, if you're not Rinoa?"

"I'm not sure why you ask," Rinoa's stereo voice replied, "but you have impressed me so far, so I will tell. I am Master Xaben, the last _true_ Keyblade Master."

"Huh. So most Keyblade Masters are bad?" Cyra asked casually. She was trying to buy enough time for Montblanc and the others to catch up, for she was sure they would've followed her there.

"The Keyblade is neither good nor evil," Rinoa-Xaben replied icily. "Rather, it merely serves the will of its wielder, whether they serve light or darkness. I just happen," he/she waved one of his/her Keyblades in a circle, "to serve darkness."

Cyra started to edge around Rinoa-Xaben's area of attack. "Is that so? If you're such a master, why do you need someone else's body to do your dirty work?"

Rinoa-Xaben laughed. "Merely because I cannot be here to meet you personally. Be glad that I am not truly here and limited by this body. Otherwise I would destroy you completely." With that s/he leapt at Cyra and fell completely into her trap.

Earlier Cyra had noticed a machine in the corner and had carefully maneuvered so that it would be behind her. When Rinoa-Xaben leapt, she rolled to the side and let her opponent fall into the platform of the machine. Then, using the light-beam of her Keyblade, she hit the big blue button on the control panel, activating the machine.

"Time for a deep freeze, bitch," Cyra smirked triumphantly. What she had activated was a cryogenic freezer; it encapsulated a helpless Rinoa-Xaben in glass then froze him/her into a Key-bearer popsicle. Axamar could only watch as his master's vessel was rendered useless and the shadow that controlled her slithered out.

The shadow coagulated into a semi-human form then faced Cyra. "You have won this time, Cyra of the light," it said with Xaben's disembodied voice, "but you will not win again."

Then, to Cyra and Axamar's surprise, Xaben leapt at the latter and enveloped him in his shadowy body. The two bodies twisted and contorted until they vanished completely, the only trace left being the half-eaten apple on the floor.

Cyra let out a big sigh, then turned to the frozen Rinoa. "Well, guess I'd better defrost you, huh?" she asked her, naturally getting no response.

Walking up to the control panel, Cyra pressed the red button that was next to the blue one, and just like that fast-moving lasers melted the ice encasing Rinoa. The young woman collapsed to the ground, gasping for air.

"Sorry about that," Cyra said. "I ran out of ideas to get that moron out."

"No, that's quite alright," Rinoa said between hacking coughs and gasps. "It was really coming to me anyway."

"Rinoa!" someone called out from outside. A few seconds later, Leon came rushing in with the others not too far behind. Leon gathered Rinoa up in his arms held her tight, making Cyra tighten up her throat as well. Thoughts of her and Kris flooded her mind at that point

Montblanc flitted over to Cyra and patted her on the shoulder. "Fantastic job, Cyra! I knew you had the right stuff."

Cyra thought about what Leon had said about her _not_ being right for a job. Then she smiled. "Y'know, maybe Yen Sid doesn't think I'm right. But you know what? I don't that's my purpose right now."

"What do you mean by that, _kupo?_"

Cyra told him about Rinoa's possession by Xaben and how Xaben possessed both of the Keyblades that were used by Kris' attackers. "I think this Xaben was one of them," Cyra said.

"Well, that wouldn't surprise me, _kupo_, with him saying he's a Keyblade Master and all. But this means there's more than Master Xehanort to deal with… Oh, chocobo-balls…"

Cyra smiled for the first time since the attack on Dawning Bay. "Well, a war can have two fronts, y'know. Maybe this is just one of them."

"Master Xehanort on one side, Master Xaben on the other…" Aerith contemplated. "But who fights who?"

"I'll take care of Xaben," Cyra answered confidently. "I think whoever's fighting Xehanort has it handled."

"Well, then, it's decided!" Montblanc chirped. "Looks like we've got some travelling to do."

"Yeah, but where to start…" Cyra looked around for anything that might give them a clue, but saw nothing. Then a flash caught her eye, and her Keyblade appeared in her hand. Axamar's apple started to hover in the air while Cyra lost sight of everyone else in the room. A beam of light shot up from the apple and revealed a large keyhole in the air. Almost instinctively, Cyra raised her Keyblade up and shot another beam of light into the keyhole, hearing a loud _clunk_ of a lock turning before returning to reality.

"Uh, _kupo…_" Montblanc stammered. "What was that?"

"Looks like the worlds want to help you out," a recovered Rinoa replied. "The same thing happened to Sora around a year ago."

"Sora?" Cyra asked ponderously. Then she nodded. "Okay then. Looks like I'll follow this Sora's lead. Let's find out where this takes us."

When Cyra boarded Montblanc's Gummi ship for departure, someone else was watching from the shadows of an alleyway. Nodding to himself, Isaac said, "You're correct, Cyra. This war does have two fronts. Both you and Kris will be on the frontline. As will I…"

To Be Continued…

Author's Note: Recently I was told that the last chapter would constitute a crossover due to the appearance of Rocket the Slime, Stella, and Sterling from the Dragon Quest series. I'm just going to say now that I will be drawing not only from Square Enix's franchises, but also movies made by subsidiaries of Disney or distributed by Disney. This includes Pixar and Studio Ghilbi films as well as the Dragon Quest series and other series by Square. Just making sure I'm clear with this; Pixar worlds _will_ appear in this series.


	4. Chapter 4

Kingdom Hearts: The Xaben Chronicles

Chapter Four: Hearts of Bravery

**Warning!**

Spoilers for the Disney-Pixar film _Brave_ ahead. If you haven't seen the movie yet, the plotline will be spoiled. You have been warned. –_Alexander XIII_

* * *

Unknown Location in the Realm Between

Xaben strode up the stairs of his castle with poise despite his heightened awareness, leaving Axamar gasping for breath. His thoughts were on the young girl he had met in Radiant Garden, the Keyblade wielder that had given him such trouble… Cyra. He knew he had to keep an eye on her.

And what of the boy, Kris? He was powerful enough to merit attention, but Xaben did not feel that he could confront him directly. His body, though pliant, was starting to fight back against him, the original heart finally starting to awaken. His possession of Rinoa Heartilly didn't help matters, either.

He could not allow this. He was so close to his objective, _too_ close to lose his vessel now. He had a special treatment to remedy this ultimately futile struggle, though it required the practiced hand of one that could challenge his power.

He walked into the main hall with confidence despite the turmoil within him. One of his servants was waiting for him, his black coat contorted by his lanky frame. A simple broadsword hung at his side, though Xaben knew its true purpose and power.

"Xeja," Xaben called to the servant. "I need that remedy."

"As you wish, milord," Xeja replied in a compliant tone. But the master could see through the servant's veiled intentions.

Within minutes Xeja had produced the remedy, a strange purplish concoction contained within a heart-shaped vial. Xaben took the vial and drank its contents, fully expecting what came next.

It was never poisoned, but it certainly felt as such; Xaben doubled over, groaning in agony as the potion started to work its magic. In an instant, though, it was done; the original heart receded with the malicious brew's advance, once again relinquishing control to Xaben.

"Milord," Xeja asked, seeming worried, "do you feel well?"

Xaben coughed up a little blood before answering. "Yes. I fear that my encounter with the girl prompted my vessel to try and break free." He stood up straight. "But it is of no concern now; I am in complete and utter control now."

"Very well, milord," Xeja said. "But my remedies will only work for so long. Soon, you may have to…" He trailed off, knowing full well what Xaben would eventually have to do.

"When the time comes, Xeja… I will do what is necessary. Even if it renders me a Heartless…"

* * *

In the Realm Between, aboard a Gummi ship…

"Oh, flippity flap!" Stella cursed as she tried to keep her flight pattern. "Mind keeping it a little steady, fatguts?"

"I ain't fat, and I ain't got no gut!" Sterling shouted while struggling with the controls. "It's Captain, _Captain_!"

"Do you ever get tired of this?" Kris asked Glenn.

"Nah; it's far too entertaining."

"I heard that, Glenn!" Sterling bellowed before refocusing. Rocket shivered nervously as the blocky craft bucked and whirled.

"It's okay, Rocket, just a little turbulence," Kris comforted.

"Hah! Turbulence? Try a friggin' army!"

"Sterling, is that right?" Glenn asked calmly.

"Yeah it is, Glenn! It's so bad I might hafta land somewhere else. Blasted 'Eartless…"

_Okay, now _that's _bad, _Kris thought. "Can we evade them?"

"Yeah, but not fer long. We'd better 'ope that there's a world willin' to take us in… "

A tremor shook the _Starflight _as the Heartless ships took a pot-shot. "You bleedin' bums!" Sterling yelled at the top of his lungs. "You want more? Come and git more!"

Another shot hit, this time much harder. Kris and Rocket flew off their seat and banged against the hatch to the outside. Glenn, acting quickly, sprung out of his seat and rushed to them.

He was barely fast enough; the hinges on the door came off and Kris fell through, catching Glenn's outstretched hand just in time. But the pull of gravity was starting to wear on both of them. Glenn couldn't hold on long.

"Hold on, Kris, just hold on…" Glenn was muttering hopefully. But it wasn't enough. Glenn's grip loosened, and before he could react he lost it.

"Glenn!" Kris yelled as he and Rocket were flung out to the dark abyss. Two minutes later he had lost both sight of the _Starflight_ and consciousness…

* * *

It was a bright, sunny day in the Bear Kingdom as the different clans gathered for the games. Each clan head had one thing on their mind: their son winning the hand of the beautiful princess of the land.

However, that princess, Merida, had other plans. Slumped in her wooden throne alongside her father, King of the land, she watched as the large son of Lord MacGuffin took his first shot. The arrow sailed and hit the very rim of the target, causing a round of boos from his clan.

_One down, two to go,_ Merida thought hopefully. The next contestant, the vain son of Lord Macintosh, took his shot and just barely missed the bulls-eye. He then promptly threw a temper tantrum, for the rule called for a bulls-eye.

Merida snorted. "Well, _that's_ attractive." She then watched as the third and final contestant, the dumpy son of Lord Dingwall, twanged at his bowstring. His equally dumpy father egged him on, clearly pinning his hopes.

It was about then that something unexpected and world-changing fell on the kid.

* * *

Kris twirled through the air, barely letting out an "Uh-oh" before smacking head-first into the kid below, accidentally shooting the arrow notched in the bowstring. Rocket bounced off of Kris' head and rolled out towards the target, which had said arrow sticking out of its bulls-eye.

As the kid's clan cheered, Kris gathered himself up from the ground and retrieved his shoe from the kid's teeth. "Sorry 'bout that, buddy," he said to him before looking at the bulls-eye. "Hey, did I make that?" he then asked innocently.

The kid nodded, still trying to understand what had happened. Kris barely had time to react to the bear-like man that jovially patted him on the shoulder. All of the people gathered reminded Kris of the men that played bagpipes back at Dawning Bay.

"Ay, looks like we have our winner!" the man said. "What's yer name, lad?"

"Uh… Kris."

"Kris, eh? Fantastic name! And you're quite the looker, too! I got to say, I'm mighty proud!"

Kris immediately felt like being anywhere but right there. "Is that so?"

"Ay, that's right, lad! My daughter got mighty lucky with you. You'll make a fine husband."

He could've jumped back into space from the thought of that. "_Holy mother of God_! Are you kidding?"

"No, lad. As of now, you're part of our…" The man trailed off, looking past Kris.

_Oh, good, maybe he'll change his mind_, Kris thought. He didn't like the thought of Cyra finding out that he had a fiancée all of a sudden. All because he helped a guy shoot an arrow.

But it was something else; someone carried a tartan banner up to the shooting position, then removed her hood. "I am Merida, first-born of Clan DunBroch. And I be shooting for my own hand!"

Something twanged in Kris' head. _Is that even legal?_ He looked over to the queenly-looking woman on the rightmost throne, who looked absolutely mortified. _Well, at least I figured out who the princess is._ He watched helplessly as Merida shoot two bulls-eyes in the first two targets.

"Don't you dare loose another arrow!" the queen said as she strode angrily towards them.

_Ah, shit._ Kris waited until the opportune moment while Merida loosened up for the last shot, then leapt forward as the arrow loosed, summoning his Keyblade to swipe it away.

But to his surprise, darkness suddenly clouded his eyes and his swing went blind. He fell to the ground, holding his temples in pain as an ear-piercing screech echoed through his head. When the darkness cleared, he saw that Merida had achieved a Robin Hood shot- that is she split the previous arrow with her own.

"Oh, that can't be good," Kris muttered. He then glanced over at Merida, who was staring viciously into the queen's eyes. Once again to his surprise, darkness started emanating from the pair, though none of the other clansmen seemed to notice.

Desperate, Kris thudded against what he figured was the King's leg and got his attention. "You see that?"

"See what, lad?"

"That black aura surrounding the queen and princess!"

"Ay, I see nothing but a lot of anger between them. The clans are going to have a fit…"

_So only I can see the darkness…_ Kris glanced down at his Keyblade then dispelled it. _Does it have to do with me being a Key-bearer?_ He paused. Then he shook his head. _I don't know. Maybe._

Rocket bounced up to him and nudged his ankle to get his attention. Looking down at the little slime he was immediately reminded of his predicament. "Oh, drat! Glenn!" He turned to the king. "Uh, your majesty… has anyone else like me shown up around here?"

"Like you?" The king scanned him. "No, lad, I'm afraid not. You're the first one I've seen that dresses like that."

Kris crinkled his nose. "I dress funny?" he asked, mostly of himself. Then he looked around and saw the kilts and bare chests of the surrounding clansmen and got it. "Guess I do."

* * *

It wasn't long before Kris and Rocket found themselves standing in front of King Fergus' castle. Looking up at one of the towers, Kris asked Rocket, "Why'd you think the King left us here?"

Rocket gushed a little then flipped in response.

"Oh, I get it now. He probably was expecting one of the three contestants to win. He didn't anticipate us dropping in." _Literally._

The slime nodded in agreement.

"So you think we ought to find Glenn and the _Starflight_."

Rocket nodded again.

"Okay then. Let's go." He turned away from the castle, but then heard yelling coming from the tower. This made him curious, so he went to Plan B. "Why don't we check out what's going on up there?"

Sighing, Rocket hopped up onto Kris' shoulder and made a gesture that he assumed meant, "Lead the way."

Kris then proceeded to scale the castle tower. He quickly learned that the wall had stones that were out of place, most likely hit by a large catapult stone in the past, that served as excellent handholds. Using that trick and the teeth of his Keyblade, Kris made his way to the source window of the argument.

He got there just in time to see Merida slash a sword through a no-doubt expensive tapestry. _That's gonna sting, _he thought, wincing. The Queen, Elinor, then snatched Merida's bow and threw it into the fire, prompting a crushed Merida to rush headlong out of the room. Kris then watched as Elinor desperately retrieved the burning bow from the fire then break down in tears.

_Damn, that's one serious falling out. _Kris climbed through the window and stepped up to Elinor. "Um… Your Majesty?"

Elinor looked up, her eyes puffy with tears. "Who are you?"

"The name's Kris; I was at the archery contest. Kinda fell from the sky."

She stared for a second then smiled. "Oh yes, the Key-bearer. We don't get many of you through here."

By this time, Kris had to get a new surprise buzzer, for it went off again. "Uh… You know about us?"

"I'm technically the ruler of this world, so yes, I do." Elinor stood up, cradling the bow in her hands. "Oh, what have I done…"

"You want me to go find her?"

"What?"

"You want me to go find Merida? She couldn't have gone far. I could bring her back."

The queen thought about this for a second. "I guess I could have you do that. But don't confront her about any of this; it may get her to run off again."

"Roger that," Kris replied. With that, he climbed out the window and made his way back down.

He had a princess to track, just as two men in black coats were tracking him right then.

* * *

It didn't take long for him and Rocket to find her horse; it was cowering fearfully in front of a Stonehenge formation. What really surprised him was what the horse's fat rear end was hiding.

Merida was in the middle of the formation, looking around in anguish and fear. Meanwhile, Heartless were forming off the pillars, crawling down to most likely devour Merida's heart.

"Uh-oh! C'mon, Rocket!" Kris summoned his Keyblade and leapt in between the Heartless and Merida. Rocket followed, launching forward into a stray Heartless and vaporizing it in an Elasto Blast. He skidded to a halt next to Kris, his face contorted into a frown that seemed unnatural and even funny to Kris.

"What are you doing here?" Merida asked suspiciously.

"Saving your life, of course," Kris replied with a wink before he fought the Heartless. At one point in the fight, Kris used Rocket as a baseball and smacked several Heartless at once. All the while he kept noticing that the Heartless were changing form, from clanking soldier types to rotund behemoths which he could only hurt from the back. Kris solved that problem with a Thunder spell, which brought down a bolt of lightning onto the Fat Body, destroying it and releasing the captive heart inside.

Two minutes later, the Heartless had been routed. Kris dismissed his Keyblade and held out a hand to help Merida. When she made no move to grab it, he retracted his hand and said, "I'm not the one to be mad at, you know."

Merida paused, then huffed and accepted Kris' hand. Once she was up he asked, "So, where were you headed to?"

She glowered at him suspiciously before answering, "Anywhere but the castle. I don't want to get married; that's the problem. My mother wants me to, but she doesn't consider my feelings."

Kris sighed. "I feel you. When I heard that the whole point of that archery contest was to get married to you, I swear I was ready to hightail it just like you did."

"But you didn't."

"Mostly because I would've gotten lost after the first five minutes," he said jokingly.

"You should get to know the forest better, then."

"You people just don't get jokes very well, don't you?"

She looked up, a little confused. Then she laughed. "Oi, now I get it!"

"Yeah, there you go!" Kris laughed along with her, ignoring Rocket's nervous glances for the moment. Then he stopped. "So where do you want to go from here?"

She didn't answer; instead she looked behind him, prompting him to wheel around. Seeing a little blue wisp floating a short distance away, his heart jumped. "Another Heartless?"

"Don't know what that is, but that's not it; that's a will-o'-the-wisp." Merida grinned. "They're supposed to lead you to your fate. I don't know about you, but that's where I'm going!" She then ran off towards the wisps, beckoning Kris to follow.

"How do I get wrapped up in these messes?" he asked himself before retrieving Rocket and going after Merida.

* * *

The trail of wisps led the four of them (Merida's horse Angus followed) to a hut carved into a hill. Merida approached and opened the door, and Kris agreed to watch for more threats.

After a couple of seconds of waiting, Kris leaned against an oak and breathed a sigh. So much had happened between Dawning Bay and here that he didn't know what to make of it. One day he's hanging around the beach and guessing who was covering his eyes; the next thing he knows he's leaning on an oak, protecting a complete stranger for the sake of a complete stranger.

"I really am a white knight, huh?" he asked himself.

"Depends on how you look at it," a response came.

Kris practically chopped the tree down in reaction. Looking at the gash he made with his Keyblade then looking up, he spotted a silver-haired boy wearing a grey coat looking down at him from a overhanging branch.

"That's quite a reaction," Isaac noted. "Perhaps you should tone it down a bit, just in case."

"Who the hell are you?" Kris asked, ignoring Isaac's advice.

Isaac introduced himself then said, "I saw your friend earlier. She was quite distraught, you know. But she'll be looking for you, so there's no need to go to Radiant Garden."

Kris' anger subsided. "Cyra? You saw her?"

"Oh, yes, I did. I see why you are in love with her, and seeing you now I see why she feels the same about you."

That anger boiled right back up. "Hey, how did you-" He stopped. "Wait, Cyra feels the same?"

"That's correct, Kris. I know everything there is to know about you two. Why, I haven't the slightest, but the fact is that I have this knowledge. And my instincts are telling me to give you this." With that he dropped a small circular compass, which Kris caught. But instead of pointing true north, its arrow pointed in the south-west.

"Follow that compass to where it guides you, then return to the castle. By the time you get back, you'll know what to do."

Kris glanced at the compass and took note of the direction, then looked back up to thank Isaac, if thanks were in order. But Isaac had already vanished into thin air. At the same time, Merida was coming out with a short old woman who seemed _too_ full of energy. After a few short words the two went back in, but not before Kris told Merida where he was going.

He went to talk to Rocket, but noticed that the little slime had fallen asleep. Only seconds had passed since Isaac appeared. Waking Rocket up, he told the little slime what had happened, wisely leaving Isaac out of it. Though he seemed suspicious, Rocket nodded in agreement to go along.

* * *

Kris followed the compass carefully; buoyed by thoughts of where it could lead. He felt bad about leaving Merida alone, but he felt that Isaac could be trusted. _If he knows everything about me, then maybe he knows about the two guys that attacked me back home._ If he could figure out who those two were, then he'd be happy.

Another thought to cross his mind was that maybe the compass led to Glenn and the _Starflight._ While it was unlikely that they could find him so fast, he still had the thought in his head.

But no; the compass led to a set of huge ruins set over an ocean-side cliff. The pointer indicated the front gate, after which it spun wildly.

"Well, looks like we're here," Kris told Rocket with a sigh. _So much for my theories._

Wandering through the gate and into the plaza, Kris noticed the numerous statues that were sunken into the ground with age. Many of them wielded weapons that didn't look entirely like swords but would've been used as—

Kris stopped. He approached a statue and observed its weapon more closely. Sure enough, the weapon in question was a depiction of a Keyblade.

He back away from the statue in shock. What were statues of Keyblade wielders doing in a world like this? _I wonder if Queen Elinor knows about this_, he thought. Realizing that there may be more in the main building, Kris rushed towards the second set of gates, with Rocket following hurriedly.

Inside the main building was a massive statue of a regal-looking Key-bearer wielding a highly ornate Keyblade and wearing a body-covering cape. Kris walked up cautiously, almost thinking that it would come to life and strike.

Quite the opposite; it remained lifeless, but the gates shut behind Kris and Rocket.

"Oh, crap!" Kris yelped before trying to force the gate open. "C'mon, open, open, _open!_"

After twenty tries he finally gave up, banging his fist against the immovable gate. Then, turning to the statue, Kris noticed a figure standing on the statue's left toe. Approaching, Kris realized that it was a ghost.

"Greetings, Key-bearer of light. If you are here, it means that the Keyblade War is on the verge of starting once again." The ghost shook its head. "That, above all else, must be prevented. However, there is a more insidious plan in motion right now, young Key-bearer: that of Master Xaben, the previous King of Darkness."

The ghost now had Kris' full attention. "If he is not stopped, a Keyblade War will be the least of our worries. What Xaben plans to do is far more brutal and far more unforgivable than instigating a war. It is an attack on the heart of all worlds: the destruction of Kingdom Hearts."

Kris' heart practically stopped. He had heard stories about Kingdom Hearts in his childhood, from his father. He remembered that he wasn't a native to Dawning Bay, and that's how he heard the story. Kingdom Hearts was apparently the world of all worlds, the ultimate light. People coveted the light and started a great war, which he assumed to be the ghost's Keyblade War.

"This cannot happen, even above a war. If Kingdom Hearts were to be destroyed, all existence would cease to be. I implore you now, young Key-bearer: stop Xaben before it is too late…"

The ghost coughed politely. "To aid in this, I will give you the power to wield a Keyblade from the past. My own Keyblade. Use it well." Then the ghost was enveloped in a dim light and disappeared. Seconds later Kris was enveloped in that same light, much to his surprise. Before he knew it he was holding _two_ Keyblades: his own and another that was designed like his, only gold in color.

_Remember, Kris,_ the ghost's voice echoed, _even in the greatest darkness, light will find a way through. Believe in the light, and it will come to save you in your time of need._

Kris stood in silence, unsure of what to make of what had just happened. Then he asked, "Rocket, did you see any of that?"

A worried look on his face, Rocket nodded.

"I thought as much. We'd better get outside." Kris turned and, noting that the gate had opened back up, walked out into the night.

But something wasn't right. The stars were different than they were when Kris went into the ruins. Which meant…

Kris checked his watch; sure enough, they had been in that area overnight and through the next day.

"How the…" Kris started to say, but then Rocket got his attention again. "What is it, buddy?"

Rocket bounced up and down a couple of times, then indicated two figures approaching the ruins. Kris could recognize those red curls anywhere, but the large furry mass following her got him worried.

"Merida!" he called out. Merida looked up, then disappeared into the ground with a yelp.

"Whoa, boy," Kris muttered to himself as he went to help. He quickly realized that the mass following Merida was a female black bear. Strangely, he didn't feel fear; rather, he figured that the bear was more than she seemed from the human-like gestures she was making towards him.

"Mum? Kris? You up there?" Merida said from below.

"Yeah, we're up here—Wait, _Mum_?" Kris did a double take. "What happened?"

"I'll explain later." She then disappeared; Kris assumed she was exploring.

"What do you see down there?"

"It looks to be a throne room…"

"Hold on, I'm sending Rocket down there." Thus, he grabbed Rocket and tossed him down into the hole.

"Oh!" Merida gasped in surprise. "He looks a little like a wisp!"

"Yeah, only he's gushier and much cuter," Kris replied. "What else do you see down there, Merida?"

"Uh… there seems to be a tablet down here… Let me see…" She gasped again.

"What?"

"It's the four princes! The eldest prince on the tablet is broken off!"

_I don't get it,_ Kris thought. "Explanation, please!"

"Long time ago, there were four princes who inherited an old kingdom; however, the eldest wanted it all for himself and in the process ruined the kingdom. I think… hmm… 'Mend the bond torn by pride'…"

"What? Speak English!"

"My mother was turned into a bear by a spell… and the eldest was given the strength of ten men… so that means…"

_Oh, I see where she's going with this._ "Merida, you might wanna climb back up here. _Now._"

A low growl echoed from across the throne room; though Kris couldn't see the source from where he was, he knew what it was.

"Mor'du!" Merida screamed, coming into sight with a fearful look on her face. She fired off an arrow at the unseen target, then started to climb the wreckage.

Kris, not wasting a second, summoned a Keyblade and poked the shaft through the hole. "Grab it, Merida!"

He waited until he felt Merida's weight on the blade, then he pulled her up with all his might. Luckily, Rocket had the sense to jump into her long locks.

Now the beast came into sight; a humongous black bear with a dead left eye and arrows sticking out of his back.

"Run, run, _run!_" Kris shouted, throwing Merida onto Elinor's back and allowing them to scatter before he confronted Mor'du. He dodged a claw swipe, then summoned his other Keyblade and slashed Mor'du across the chest. Unlike the arrows before, the Keyblade drew blood; the demon bear roared in pain and fell over, allowing Kris to make a break for it.

He quickly found out that he could use his two Keyblades to catapult himself from trees and eventually catch up with Merida and Elinor. Like an monkey Kris followed Merida back to the place he expected the least.

* * *

The castle was chock-full of guards; when Kris heard what Merida had to do, he had his doubts.

"Mend the bond torn by pride?" Kris repeated. "Merida, I don't think that a tapestry has anything to do-"

"But how do we get into the castle," Merida pondered, clearly ignoring him.

"Uh, Merida…?"

"Yes, what is it?"

"I have a plan. Maybe I should stay behind while you two find a back door. That way, I'll be able to cover you."

"Good plan, Kris," Merida said. "But how _do_ we get in?"

Elinor thought for a second, then looked up. Apparently she had a plan. While she guided Merida to wherever, Kris had other things in mind. He grabbed Rocket and leapt away from the scene, eventually winding up back at the stone ring.

The compass' arrow went wild again.

"Yep, this is where we need to be." He put Rocket down then found a spot to lounge. "Guess we'll wait here until the action starts."

Rocket, however, was wary of something. "What is it, buddy?" Kris asked. He looked around, but didn't see anything at first. Then he spotted an outline he didn't want to see. It wasn't Mor'du looking for round two; no, it was far worse.

"Hello, Key-bearer of light," the figure in the black coat said. "It's such a pleasure to meet you at last."

Kris leapt up to his feet and drew both his Keyblades. "Who are you?"

"Oh, now that's rude," another black coat said. "Maybe we should teach the brat to respect his elders, eh, Naxogy?"

"Yes, Alcixem," Naxogy replied. Both pulled back their hoods, revealing Naxogy to have a smooth, youthful face with long black hair and an eye-patch and Alcixem to have a scarred visage with a bald head and a Heartless Emblem tattoo over his left eye. Polar opposites, yet they were on the same side.

Kris heard shouting and dogs barking in the distance. _Cat's out of the bag, I guess,_ he thought. Soon enough they would be here and the Dastardly Duo would have to leave. But something told him that a bunch of sword-waving Scottish warriors wouldn't scare two black-coat wearing villains that are confident enough to take on a Keyblade wielder.

Naxogy held out his hands and summoned two crystalline rapiers that gleamed in the moonlight, while Alcixem drew a small baton that extended into a full staff with a sickle blade on each end. Kris immediately knew he was in for a big fight.

Naxogy moved first, dashing forward with a lunge. Kris quickly dived to the side and allowed Rocket to blast right into the villain's face with an Elasto Blast. Meanwhile, he sent a Blizzard spell towards Alcixem, who whirlwind-slashed the small ball of ice to bits. Recovering from Rocket's blow, Naxogy swiped at the little slime. But Rocket proved too small for Naxogy to hit; revving up another Blast, he nailed the dastard in the gut, knocking the wind out of him.

Kris took the opportunity to pull off a pole-vaulting crane kick on Naxogy, shoe connecting with face hard. Kris followed it up with a Keyblade blow to the head, which ended up sliding to the shoulder instead. Frustrated by that failure, Kris flipped back and rushed up with a three-hit combo that sent Naxogy flying, and then focused his attention on Alcixem. By then Rocket had taken matters into his own hands and Elasto Blasted into Alcixem's weapon shaft, breaking it in two. Snorting derisively, Alcixem swatted Rocket away, making the poor critter hit a pillar hard.

Seeing his pal knocked out of the fight sent Kris into a berserker fury, with his next two blows taking off Alcixem's arms and the final blow bashing in his head. With that final blow, Alcixem burst into black flames, evaporating from sight.

"One down, one to go," Kris gasped. He turned back to Naxogy, who seemed unfazed by his compatriot's fiery downfall.

"It will simply wear you down, Key-bearer," he said with a chuckle. With that he went for another lunge, which Kris blocked. Then they were in a blade-lock, glaring at each other from behind their weapons.

A giant, furry mass dashed into the circle, accidentally knocking Naxogy down and out of sight. Doing a double-take, Kris realized it was Elinor.

"What are you doing here, dingbat?" Kris asked furiously. "Shouldn't you be repairing that tapestry?"

Elinor made a few growling sounds like talking and kept pointing in the direction she had come from. Looking over, Kris spotted the glow of torches and heard the barking of hunting hounds.

"Oh. That's why you're here." Kris looked around one more time for Naxogy then readied his Keyblades. "Don't you worry, Your Majesty; I'll protect you."

Soon enough, King Fergus came galloping towards them with all three of the clans behind him. "Move aside, lad!" he yelled at Kris. "That monster killed Elinor!"

"You idiot, this _is_ Elinor!" Kris shouted back.

"Oi, you were talkin' with Merida, weren't ya? That's madness!"

"Yeah, okay, I get that, it's crazy. But if you look into her eyes you'll know!"

Fergus glared. "Well, if ya won't get out of my way…" He suddenly readied his sword. "Then have at you!"

But before the Bear King could get a slash in Rocket slammed into his face and knocked him down to the ground. Just in time, too, because Merida was arriving with the tapestry and three little bear cubs.

"You gotta be kidding me," Kris muttered, remembering the three red-haired kids that were causing a behind-the-scenes ruckus at the games.

Merida hopped off Angus and came up to Kris with the tapestry. "You doing alright, friend?"

"As alright as I can be right now," Kris replied sarcastically. "Where have you _been?_ I've had to protect the Bear Queen over there!" He pointed to what he thought was Elinor, but found something far worse.

"That's not Mum, Kris…" Merida said with rising fear. "It's Mor'du!"

"What?" Kris wheeled around and sure enough, it was that arrow-riddled bear from the ruins. Its eyes glowed with animalistic fury when it saw Kris and his Keyblades.

"Looks like he remembers me," Kris noted joylessly.

"Kill it!" Fergus shouted to the clansmen. But he may as well have sent an army of sheep; Mor'du sent warrior after warrior into the air. Then the beast charged Merida.

"Oh, no you don't!" Kris yelled, charging in tandem. He caught Mor'du in the throat then, using the momentum of his charge and the teeth of his weapon, he sent the bear back. Mor'du roared with fury and tried to charge Kris, but Elinor grabbed onto his back and slammed him against a pillar. She did this repeatedly, glancing at the pillar frantically before Mor'du threw her off. Then, oblivious to the result of Elinor's charge, Mor'du galloped forward, roaring.

But the damage had been down; the loosened pillar fell right on top of Mor'du. Kris heard a sickening _crunch_ as muscle and bone collapsed in on itself, killing the beast once and for all. As the others watched on, a ghostly figure not unlike the ghost Kris saw appeared. It gave Merida, Kris, and Elinor a small nod before turning into a wisp and evaporating.

Merida draped the tapestry over Elinor, but Kris knew that it would take more than a mended piece of fabric to cure this curse. _What Merida doesn't understand is that the bond isn't a physical object; rather, the tapestry is a representation of her bond with her mother. Maybe she'll understand now._

"No… this can't be happening… I'm sorry, Mum, this is all my fault… Please… I love you." She collapsed, wrapping her arms around her mother's furry neck. Kris could hear her crying and could barely stop from shedding a tear himself.

The sun rose, and supposedly so did Elinor's permanence as a bear. But even as Kris looked up, Elinor was shifting back to her queenly state, all without Merida noticing.

He did nearly cry when he saw the reunion between the two, with Elinor playfully kissing Merida all over her face and them hugging with joy. But a sinister vision prevented him from lowering his guard.

"_I will not allow this story to end peacefully!"_ An enraged Naxogy screamed at the top of his lungs. With that, he charged at Merida and her mother, rapier in hand and hollering a bloody battle cry.

"No!" Kris yelled, but as far as he was concerned, it was over. He could only watch as—

A flash of light shot through the air and through Naxogy, stopping the furious warrior midstride. A figure with a familiar Keyblade appeared a short distance to Naxogy's left. He stood as Naxogy was enveloped in a fiery death, just like his compatriot. The Key-bearer turned around and gave Kris a knowing wink. The dragon tattoo gave it all away.

"Glenn!" Kris shouted happily. Likewise, Rocket bounced up and down in a joyous victory dance.

Glenn chuckled. "Looks like you were holding up just fine without me, kid."

He didn't get to say anymore, since Kris tackled him in a bear hug (no pun intended). After glancing at the assembled clansmen, Glenn gave up and embraced him back. "Glad you made it."

"You, too." Kris finally released Glenn then asked, "How'd you find me?"

"Sterling had the sense to put a tracking beacon in Rocket's food; if he ever got lost, he'd know exactly where he was. And since he took such a liking to you, well…" He shrugged. "It made it that much easier."

Rocket looked at Glenn as if he were insane. Then he started hacking and coughing to try and get the beacon out.

"Don't worry, Rocket, he probably won't do it again," Kris reassured the little slime. Then he turned back to Glenn. "Before we go…"

"Sure. Go and say your goodbyes. We may not be stopping here for a while."

The younger boy nodded then approached the royal family. "Hey, listen, I'd hate to say it, but I've gotta run. Whole worlds to see and everything."

"That's quite alright, dear," Elinor said with a smile. "You've done so much for us so far… Thank you."

"You sure ya won't stay for the celebrations?" Fergus asked.

"Uh… Probably not."

To be continued…

* * *

Author's Note: Repeating the author's note from Chapter 3. From now on, I will be covering worlds from movies that Disney both produces and distributes. Also, more characters and franchises from Square Enix will make appearances. Who knows, maybe good ol' Square will get a world all its own!

**Next up on The Xaben Chronicles:** Cyra discovers a lost city of epic proportions and is forced to protect it from outsiders and the dreaded Heartless. With Montblanc and a new friend at her side, will she rise to the challenge, or will she fall beneath the waves and drown? Find out in Chapter Five: Lost City Under the Waves.


	5. Chapter 5

Hey there, Xander here again. Okay, this time we're taking the heat off of Kris and putting it back on Cyra, who is about to visit a much-requested world for KH3 (just looked on some speculation forums). Last chapter, Kris visited the Bear Kingdom, a world based on Pixar's first fairy tale, _Brave_, which was released early this year (trust me, I worked at AMC at the time and I still do; I know). This next world is a little older, but has gotten a sort of cult following for its art style. So read on and enjoy!

* * *

Kingdom Hearts: The Xaben Chronicles

Chapter 5: Beneath the Waves, Part One

Unknown Location in the Realm Between

Sweat poured from Xirsk's temple as he pounded the grey stone pillar in front of him, hoping to prove himself to his master through his suffering. His hands and knuckles were cracked and bleeding from constant impacts and his baggy white sweatpants were starting to acquire a red stain at the knees and shins. Veins popped out of his forehead as his eyes focused hard on the pillar. Even with his fake heart, Xirsk was starting to feel alive.

His thoughts drifted to his defeat at the hands of his originator, Kris. He thought about how easily he had caught up with him in terms of combat prowess, how he had caused the failure that cost Xirsk his Keyblade, and how much he absolutely _hated_ him.

With a final, furious roar, Xirsk swung his fist through the pillar and shattered the stone, sending fragments flying in all directions. Growling loudly, he went to his knees, relishing his hatred in his originator. He made his resolution right then and there. _I am going to kill him, even if it's with my dying breath._

Someone started clapping from the entrance of the training room. Xirsk slowly turned his head toward the sound to find his master applauding his success.

"Well done, my apprentice," Xaben said, smirking underneath his hood. "Very well done."

Thinking fast, Xirsk pivoted on his left knee, brought up his right, and knelt before Xaben. "Master."

Xaben was still smirking. "I think you have earned this now." He held out his hand and summoned Dusk Bones. Then, chuckling, he tossed it to Xirsk, who deftly caught it by the handle.

The apprentice brought the Keyblade down to his eyes, gazing upon his returned weapon with gratitude. All that hard work had paid off.

"Now you know what you must do, correct?" Xaben asked.

A demonic grin spread across Xirsk's face. "Which one do I go after first?"

Xaben grinned back. "You choose."

* * *

Unknown Location

Cyra was running through the forests of Dawning Bay, breathing heavily as she batted away the large leaves. Ahead of her, a formless yet familiar figure was sprinting, seeming to always stay in front no matter what she tried.

_C'mon, almost there,_ Cyra thought. She actually had no clue where she was going, but she knew that it was important. Following the figure into a clearing, she skidded to a stop when the figure abruptly halted. Her senses heightened, she watched as the figure turned around and his features came fully into view.

Kris.

"Boy, am I glad to see you, Kris," Cyra said with a relieved sigh.

"You shouldn't have followed me," Kris said plainly.

She jolted in surprise. "What?"

"There's only death here," Kris explained, his voice and features changing to match Rinoa Heartilly possessed by her enemy: Xaben. Then her features shifted again, only this time to Axamar. "You're way too far from home, kid. You're gonna die out here." Axamar's face gave way to a writhing black mass of shadows, looking like a fiend they called a flan.

Cyra yelped and attempted to run away, but her feet were locked in place. The flan approached, growing with each inch forward. She struggled with her legs, trying to pry them out of the sand, but it was no use; she was a goner. At the last minute, the flan started to form into a torrent of slime, coming closer, closer, and closer—

"_Get up, you lousy piece of moogle crap! You've got a ship to catch!"_

Cyra bolted right awake, sitting ramrod straight on the plush bed Aerith had set up for her the night before. Composing herself, she turned and glared at the source of the rude awakening, an upright cat doll carrying a large megaphone.

"What? Don't wanna leave this rock?" the cat asked in a Scottish accent, which wasn't apparent through the megaphone.

She sighed. "Gah… What time is it, Cait Sith?"

"Almost noon, Sleeping Beauty. If ya don't hurry, Montblanc's gonna leave without ya."

Now she groaned. "Great… Wait, why did you have to use the megaphone?"

Cait Sith paused. Then he shouted, "Get yer lazy keister out of that cushion, ya dummy!"

* * *

She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes, wondering how the HBRC stayed sane with the loudmouth with the megaphone. She heard Cid shouting back at Cait Sith and got her answer. _They don't._

"So, first time out in the field?" Leon asked her. He was leaning on a lamppost along the sidewalk; nearby was Montblanc's Gummi ship, primed and ready to go.

"Yeah, sort of. My dad was captain of the guard back home. He always used to…" She cut the statement short as the memories washed painfully over her mind. After that she refocused on Leon and said, "Never mind. It's a long story, anyway."

Leon was giving her that look that meant that he knew what was really going on inside her head. _Wouldn't that be something new? _Cyra thought sarcastically, a picture of Isaac floating in her mind.

"If you say so. I'd better check on the others; just keep unlocking those Keyholes like you did yesterday, and you'll be fine." He got off the lamppost and sauntered off towards the postern. "See you around, Cyra."

She gulped; from the back he looked a lot less stern and much more handsome. "Uh… yeah. You too."

"_Kupo_¸ we going or what?" Montblanc called from the ship.

"Yeah, just a sec." Cyra then took a deep breath and summoned her Keyblade, if only to admire the power that dwelled within its blade.

She wondered what kind of force shaped her Keyblade to be what it was; was it a natural shape, or was it influenced by her personality? A better question might be: What exactly _is_ a Keyblade?

"_Kupo!_"

"Coming, dammit!"

* * *

She thought it would be just her and Montblanc. But Leon seemed to underestimate both Cyra's Keyblade and Montblanc's cuteness; thus, he gave them an extra hand on deck.

The man in the backseat of the Gummi wasn't exactly what you'd call a level-headed guy. He was older than Cyra, maybe in his early twenties, and sported neck-length silver hair. His trench coat had the edges frayed and he sported a short beard, giving him an air of roughness. The coat was also unbuttoned, revealing a dark red shirt that went well with the dusky grey of the coat. Despite the incessant tapping of his foot, he had a confident smirk on his face that just wouldn't go away, no matter how much Cyra willed it to.

"We don't see you much, Snow," Montblanc commented.

"Leon doesn't like to talk about me," Snow Villiers replied, leaning back and putting his hands behind his head. "Don't see why."

_I do, buddy,_ Cyra thought. "Do we have any info on Kris, Montblanc?"

"Kid, we just took off," Snow interjected, "we're not going to find your friend instantly, okay?"

If she would've looked in a mirror she would've seen that her face was turning red. "I wasn't _talking_ to you."

"Just telling it like it is, sweetheart."

_Sweetheart?!_ "That's it!" Cyra shouted, drawing forth her Keyblade.

"Whoa, _kupo!_ No fighting on the deck!"

Snow watched the Keyblade's tip waver right in front of his nose. "I get it, Cyra. I'm sorry. You wanna find your friend. I'm looking for someone, too, y'know?" He paused. "I'll keep my mouth shut."

"Thank you," Cyra breathed out, dismissing her weapon. "So, Montblanc?"

"Nothing yet, _kupo_, but I'll let you know when I spot something."

She ignored the smug smile on Snow's face. _He just _had_ to be right, didn't he?_

"World ahead!"

"That was fast," Cyra responded to Montblanc's announcement.

"No kidding, _kupo_! Look out at it, too!"

She peered out the windshield. Sure enough, there was a whole world just drifting out there in the vacuum. There didn't seem to be much to it; it was covered completely in an expanse of ocean. However, something caught Cyra's eye: a strange structure that was blurred by the waves, but still distinctive. It looked like… an island?

"Ooh, this ought to be interesting," Snow hooted. "Let's go down there!"

"We don't know what's down there, _kupo_. It could be more hostile than anything we've dealt with thus far."

Cyra wasn't sure what kind of things Montblanc and Snow "dealt" with, but considering that the former had followed her and Kris into a Heartless ambush she figured it was pretty peachy. "I agree with Snow. We should at least check what's down there."

Montblanc gaped, then slowly rolled his eyes. "Whatever, _kupo_. It's on his head if we all get killed."

"On _my_ head?! _She's_ the one who convinced you!"

_You're welcome, jerk._

On closer inspection it seemed to be just what it was from orbit; an endless body of saltwater. The waves chopped up the sea as gales of wind buffeted both it and Montblanc's ship.

"We stay here any longer, that wind's going to take us down, _kupo_," Montblanc cautioned. "I say we-"

"Are there any caves down in there?" Cyra interrupted.

"…turn back. Let me check." Montblanc glanced at his radar and his sonar. After a couple seconds, his fur stood up straight. "How'd you know something was there?!"

"I looked for it. Back home, we used to find caves down below; usually they had metal we used in making weapons. To defend ourselves, of course."

"You had Heartless problems _before_ your world got sucked up?" Snow asked.

"No, we had fiends. Plain old animals, but really aggressive; get too close, and they'll strike without mercy."

"Speaking of fiends…" Montblanc took another look at the sonar. "Looks like something _else_ is down there."

"Does it have air?"

"Well, yes, but-"

"Send me down," Cyra interrupted again, rushing to the teleport pads.

"Uh… I don't think you want to do that, _kupo_."

She didn't listen; she pressed the activation button just as the moogle freaked out and started punching out coordinates.

* * *

Where Cyra ended up was definitely _not_ a cave; that is, unless caves were naturally formed from industrial steel and riveting.

Summoning her Keyblade, she crept out of the small hollow that she had been warped to. She ducked back in immediately when a crisply-dressed man walked through the adjoining hallway.

"Well," Cyra whispered to herself, "I guess I'm on a military vessel." Gauging from the design of the hallway, she figured submersible. She glanced around the hollow she was in and found a set of welded-in words that said: "_Ulysses_, 1914."

"Great. Just great," she muttered. She looked to make sure no one else was coming, then made a dash for the other end of the hallway. She was stopped by a large steel door, locked by an imposing hatch. She groaned as she turned the hatch, opening the door after several minutes of trying.

_Maybe this wasn't such a great idea after all_, Cyra thought with a sigh.

Finally, she got to what looked like the mess hall; she waited until the last crewmen had left laughing, then dashed across the hall.

She barely made it halfway before the roar of metal on metal tore through the vessel. Sirens began to wail loudly and the mess hall was awash in the red light of the warning beacons.

"Whoa, boy," she said as she made another attempt at the dash from earlier. Over an onboard intercom, a woman was saying, "Attention: We are under attack by an unknown vessel; abandon ship, abandon ship!"

_So much for staying and fighting,_ Cyra thought sardonically.

That is, until she saw the rush of water coming right at her.

* * *

She just decided to go with the flow (literally) and see where it took her. It took her about forty feet before a massive metal claw tore through the hull, sucking her right out of the _Ulysses_, a doomed vessel after all.

What she saw swimming in the water made all of her childhood nightmares look tame. Tearing away at the hull of the _Ulysses_ was a giant, angry lobster-like robot with beady red eyes and giant, _giant_ claws.

Swimming away was probably the best option at this point. Cyra did that and went for the first cave she saw. Remembering what her father told her above deep diving, she exhaled immediately before hitting the surface, preventing the pressure from rupturing her lungs.

"Definitely no summer getaway," she commented, looking around at her surroundings. Seeing a dark passage in front of her, she started to approach, hoping that her hunch was right.

"Definitely," a familiar voice said from off to the side. Cyra spun around to come face-to-face with the mystery boy himself, Isaac.

"What do you want?"

"Just here to give some advice, Cyra," the silver-haired Keyblade wielder replied. "You honestly think that going into a dark cave without light is a good idea?"

Her first thought was a gruesome scene of Isaac's head impaled upon a stake, but then she realized that he had a point. "I don't have any matches. Or any light, for that matter."

Isaac smiled. "Come now, you're a _Keyblade_ wielder. Figure it out."

The emphasis on "Keyblade" made Cyra get the hint. Summoning hers, she focused her will on the tip. To her mild surprise, a faint but strengthening light started flicking on the tip, revealing the passage slightly.

"It's amazing, what we can do," Isaac commented airily.

"How'd you get here? Besides that, how'd you know I would be right here _exactly?_"

"If you are somewhere, Cyra, I can be there as well. Consider me…" He paused before continuing, "a _part of you._"

Cyra quickly pointed her Keyblade at Isaac. "What do you mean by that?"

He ignored her question. "But don't think of me as exclusive, Cyra. I can visit others as well, others… _close_ to you."

"You mean Kris? Where is he?!" She made a wild swing at Isaac, enraged by what he was suggesting. For all she knew, he could be in league with the madman who possessed Rinoa: Xaben. Not to mention Axamar, the irritating redhead with the apple.

Her blade caught empty air; one second Isaac was there, the next he was gone. "Nice try, friend," Isaac's voice echoed through the stale air, "but next time, try a little harder."

"_Are you working with Xaben?!"_ Cyra screamed furiously into the air.

She heard a melancholy laugh, then, "No, not really. Like I said, I am a part of you; why would I work with your enemies?"

Once she was sure Isaac had left, she took several ragged gasps of frustration. Then she relit her Keyblade and pressed onward.

* * *

The passage forked about thirty-five feet in; thinking quickly, she took the left fork. After what seemed like forever, she saw light emanating at the end of the passageway.

Of course, she expected a controlled fire. Not an entire volcano.

She couldn't see an opening at the top, but that was a given; she was underwater, after all. Below her, a scorching river of magma bubbled grumpily; the only thing between her and a bone-melting death was a narrow network of stone beams.

_Time to put that balance training to work_, she thought grimly. She didn't _really_ have training; she just liked to balance on palm tree branches as a kid back at Dawning Bay. Unlike then, though, falling here wouldn't have a soft landing into beach sand.

Testing the nearest beam with her right foot, Cyra then balanced herself on said beam, placing her left foot after her right, and so on and so forth. She took about five steps before her sandal slipped on what she realized was cooled magma, sending her nearly into the molten stuff.

She barely caught and wrapped her arm around the beam, losing her right sandal in the process. Heaving out her breath in shock, she managed to climb back up onto the beam, her legs straddling it as if she were on horseback.

She looked down just in time to see her sandal hit the magma. With a hungry sizzle, the volcano devoured the footwear, leaving no trace of its existence.

_Well, there goes a perfectly good sandal._ She looked down at her remaining sandal. Figuring that having only one on would screw up her balance she undid the strap and let her sandal fall into the waiting mouth of the volcano.

"Always preferred to be barefoot, anyway."

* * *

The rest of the trek was easy; without the flimsy footwear, balance was nonissue. Using her Keyblade light at the next tunnel, she eventually navigated towards more light. Unlike the volcano, this seemed to be daylight. Before she realized the incredulity of the concept, she exited the caverns

What she saw at the end of the tunnel stunned her into silence; before her eyes was a huge city suspended in a bubble of water; above her was the endless expanse of the ocean. Though the city was abuzz with life, it seemed like it was falling apart, with large but crumbling domed buildings and a scattered harbor. As she walked towards it, her toes tore away absently at the soft grass running between them. Her hair shone in the unnatural sunlight, and her eyes widened with childlike wonder.

Where in the worlds was she?

Before she could think about it, someone started to speak behind her. It was an echoing voice, which meant they were still within the caverns, but it made her come to her senses nonetheless.

"I need somewhere to hide," she said aloud to herself. Looking around, she saw what she thought was a large boulder and quickly scurried behind it. When she was in position she noticed that there were markings on the surface of the stone. On closer inspection it looked like a vague sort of writing.

Strangely, the longer she looked at it, the more she understood. After a single minute she was able to read: "Welcome to Atlantis, City of Orichalcum."

Her jaw dropped. "Atlantis?" she muttered in confusion. Noting that the voices were getting louder, she started to listen in on the ongoing conversation.

"Well, that was a total dead end. Hopefully you can get us out of this, Thatch!" a harsh-sounding woman was saying.

"Now, now, Helga, I'm sure Dr. Milo can get us through this," a more refined male voice was saying. "Now, where are we headed?"

A meek voice stuttered before answering. "Well, according to the journal, we should be just outside-"

"Lookie-lookie! Light!" a crazed and squeaky voice burst out. Cyra watched as the people filed out of the tunnel. Each had the same expression as Cyra when she walked out.

"Looks like we've found it," one of the crew, a woman dressed in a mechanic's outfit, said in awe.

"It's just like the Journal said," Milo, a skinny man with large-rimmed glasses, exclaimed. "Atlantis!"

_I needed aged chicken-scratch to figure that out; what does _he_ have?_ Cyra wondered. She took a risk and peeked around the corner for a better look.

"Eh? _Eavesdropper_!" Helga shouted, pulling out a large-caliber pistol. Getting out a yelp, Cyra narrowly dodged the bullet which hit the stone, sending chips flying outwards.

Summoning her Keyblade as the woman aggressively approached, rage boiled up in Cyra's heart. _Now you're pissed me off._ Just as Helga turned the corner, Cyra bashed her over the head, leaving her unconscious. Before the others could figure out what happened, she dashed towards the city.

"Could be worse," Cyra said to herself as she charged down the hill. "The natives could be mean."

* * *

A few hours later, the leader of the _Ulysses _expedition, Captain Rourke, had been introduced to the natives after apologizing for Helga's behavior. The king and his daughter, Princess Kida, were strangely welcoming to the outsiders, something Cyra couldn't understand as she hid in a woven vase that the natives had so kindly given to her to use.

_Don't they realize these people are dangerous?!_ She thought. Well, some of them; Milo looked okay, and the others weren't as trigger-happy as Helga. But just Helga alone made Cyra want to melt her mole-marked face off with a Fira spell. Rourke didn't seem any better; though he was polite to the king, he had the eyes of a snake.

After the expedition had left with Kida as their guide, the king let Cyra out of the vase. "Thanks, Your Majesty," she said as she poked her head out. "I didn't wanna scare that woman again; she's evil."

"Of course, wielder of the Keyblade," the king said in a gravelly voice, for he was getting _way_ up there in age. "We respect the requests of those chosen by the weapons of light."

"Again, thank you. By the way… You wouldn't have happened to have met another Keyblade wielder by the name of Kris, have you?"

The king pondered this a moment. Then his eyes lit up in remembrance. "Ah, yes, I remember a young boy named Kris coming here once, but that was a long time ago. Perhaps eight years."

"You have?! Where is—Wait, eight _years_ ago?" Cyra was confused. Wasn't Kris in Dawning Bay at age six? "He was here that long ago?"

"Why, yes," the king replied. "He was here with another boy, a little mature than him at the time… now, what was his name… Oh, I can't seem to remember…"

Her heart started beating faster. "C'mon, tell me what his name was! You have to remember, Your Majesty!"

He pondered it a bit further. "Ah, now I remember! His name was…"

Isaac.

_To be continued_…

Well, that's the first part of Cyra's Atlantis adventure. I'll do another Kris chapter before I continue on Cyra again, but I hope that this has provided some insight on the story. As for the unexplained stuff… well, an author never reveals his secrets before they need to be; answers will come in time. Until then, keep on writing. -Xander


End file.
